Normal
by CrazytownBoo
Summary: The Winx Club are going to a place they have never been to before... a normal, small-town high school. Why are they there? Will they fit in? Will they be able to contain their powers? What will other students think of them? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1 The First Morning

**I do not own Winx Club**

**Winx Club © Iginio Straffi**

**Rainbow S.r.l**

**Chapter One:**

**The First Morning**

The sun rose over the small town of Gardenia. Its' rays shimmered off of building windows and brightened the streets. It woke the town with its light, the start of a brand new Fall day.

"Breakfast!" Bloom woke from her slumber to the familiar voice of her adopted mother, Vanessa. She pulled the covers off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed and just sat for a moment, looking at her sleeping friends; Stella, Layla and Musa. Evidently, Flora and Tecna were already awake; their sleeping bags were rolled up and sitting in the corner of Bloom's little room.

The red-haired girl put her feet into some slippers before carefully stepping over her friends to go to the dining room. Once there, she saw the specialists, her friends, sitting at the table, enjoying themselves to a large, good-smelling breakfast.

"Good morning." Bloom said groggily.

Vanessa turned and smiled sweetly at her daughter, even though she was quite busy with the eggs cooking on the stove.

"Hey Bloom" Sky stopped eating for a moment to acknowledge his girlfriend. He pulled a chair out from under the table for Bloom to take a seat.

"How are you enjoying it here, guys?" Bloom asked, resting her head on her hand.

"It's nice. It's a lot different from Magix, but it's a nice little place." Sky said, smiling.

"It will take some getting used to." Brandon added. Timmy nodded in agreement.

Riven had avoided looking at Bloom… he was not much of a morning person, and his friends had already reminded him of it plenty of times that morning.

"What time did you wake up?"

"The time change is drastic, we woke up at 4 this morning." Timmy replied, before shoving some scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Bloom didn't seem all too surprised, though she did find it odd that some of her friends had the ability to sleep in much later then they would back on Magix time.

"Where's Flora and Tecna?"

"They already ate. I think they're in the living room" Helia replied.

"When do we start school, Bloom?" Sky asked.

"Tomorrow. You guys need to prep today." Bloom replied. Bloom's friends were to go to her old High School, the place she so desperately had longed to leave when she was living in Gardenia, back when she was just a normal freshman. She had imagined it would be better since she had her friends were there now to accompany her, but at the same time, she worried about how they would fare in a normal small-town high school… it was a place they definitely weren't familiar with by any means.

Riven grumbled at the mention of prepping for classes. He wasn't too hip on the idea of going to school. The boys, though they were a year above the girls and would be out of high school, were going to enter the senior class. Partially, it was to support their girls, but it also was just for the thrill of a new experience.

Sky was enthusiastic. Ever since he was young, he wanted to see what it would feel like to not be privileged, to not be a prince. Now, he could just pretend to be a normal teen, and he was very excited about it.

Among the other specialists, however, there were mixed feelings. Timmy thought it would be interesting, but he had heard of what happens to the stereotypical nerd in a high school. Helia was unsure of it. He was more of the antisocial type… he liked to keep to himself, Flora, and his art. Brandon also was excited… he had expectations to impress all of the girls in the school. He and Sky had talked with Bloom about sports programs and were quite interested in joining a couple. Riven, on the other hand, absolutely hated the idea of going to high school.

A plate was set before Bloom, and she finally mustered the strength to hold her head up. Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, orange juice, and cut fruit to the side. A good breakfast, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Tecna had taken her place on the couch in the living room. The night before, she had rummaged through Bloom's books and found a dictionary and a couple older school books on history and such. She had them piled on the floor next to her feet as she thumbed through an old math book. Every so often, she would give a look of disappointment at the text on the pages.

Flora had spent her morning trying to revive Vanessa's dying plants. She failed to heed Bloom's request… she told her not to use magic, but she just _had _to save the plants. She would feel horrible if she didn't. Now, she was seated on the couch, looking at the pages Tecna went through.

Stella walked down the stairs and into the living room. Her hair was a curly mess and she still had her nightgown on. Makeup was running down her face and her golden eyes looked awfully tired. It was quite a sight to see; Stella almost always walked out of her room in the mornings looking like a supermodel ready for a new day.

Soon after, Layla and Musa entered the living room, though, unlike Stella, they were wearing their clothes for the day, had brushed out their hair and had applied makeup.

"Good morning" Flora beamed.

"Good morning guys." Musa replied as she plopped down on a seat. Then she looked at Stella and her eyes grew wide, "You look like a mess!"

"The sun is different here" Stella replied.

"We do have two suns in Magix you know, Stella" Tecna replied, eyes still glued to a book.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know" Stella grumbled, "This one is different from both of 'em."

Later that night, the group all met in the living room, boys and girls alike, to talk of the day to come.

"This is going to be so great!" Sky exclaimed.

"If only I had your enthusiasm" Tecna replied.

"Yeah, I'm not too sure how I feel about this whole high school deal." Musa said quietly.

Flora nodded, "I'm kind of scared."

"You guys are getting all worked up for nothing." Riven grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"What makes you think that? This is a scary thing, Riven. It's new to us, and it's new to you too" Sky replied.

"Oh really? You think the average, small school scene is new to me? Where have you been for the last four years I've known you. I thought you would know me by now" Riven barked.

"Guys, stop. This is a stressful time. There isn't a need to argue" Bloom commented.

"If you haven't noticed, we do it a lot." Timmy said.

"Why don't we all just get along?" Flora whined.

Riven shook his head, "It is just like the hippie to say something like that"

"Hey!" Flora shouted in defiance.

"Guys! Seriously! Cut it out!" Musa yelled.

"Ok. Guys, let me lay down the law here." Bloom started, "I have a few rules for you guys"

"Didn't we already go over these!?" Stella moaned. She fell over with her hand on her face for an extra effect."

"We need to go over it again" Bloom said simply, "Ok, There is absolutely no magic, no mention of magic, or anything that has to do with magic. No talking about where we came from, nothing about the realms. Nothing. Don't act different either. No talking of advanced technology or other advancements that Earth hasn't found yet. No talking of royalty or being royalty."

"No being different?" Helia looked confused.

Bloom sighed, "Nevermind, let me continue. This goes for everyone with odd colors for hair. If somebody asks, your answer is you dyed it, kay? And if somebody asks why your eyes are a different color, your answer is you have new contacts. If somebody asks why your eyes are so big, you say you were born like that."

"And if somebody asks why you have such big muscles, you say, cause I work out like that baby." Brandon hooted. Sky laughed along with him.

Bloom didn't look amused. "Like I said, no magic. No transforming, ok?"

"Do you honestly think that we don't already know that?" Tecna asked, looking at Bloom.

"Just in case." She replied.

"Ok, I think we got this." Layla commented, twirling her curly locks.

"Yup, I agree" Brandon replied.

"Oh and another thing. Tomorrow morning, I am personally going to approve your outfits. There is a dress code… plus I wouldn't want anything you wear to be too out of this world… literally." Bloom winked.

"Oh great, and now you take my wardrobe from me. What next!?" Stella whined. She jumped up and pranced around the room, "No this, no that, you can't do that…" she yelled.

"Stella! Mike and Vanessa are asleep! You do know Mike wakes up really early for work and…"

"Oh Boohoo!" Stella yelled.

"Ok, I think we're done here. We need some rest." Sky said loudly.

"Agreed." Bloom sighed, "Everyone is to be awake tomorrow at 6 o'clock. No later. We leave for school at 7:30."

"And we're…?" Layla asked.

"We're walking there." Bloom replied.

"Oh joy." Musa exclaimed, "I'm gonna hit the hay. It's gonna be a looonnng day tomorrow."

"Oh and guys" Bloom started as everyone got up from where they were sitting. They turned to face her. "We are starting kind of late in the school year, so we are kind of jumping into the mix in the middle of the action, so to speak"

Taking in this news, everyone just simply sighed and moved to their designated sleeping areas for the night.

Later that night, while everyone was asleep, Bloom was sitting in a chair pulled up to the only window in her room. The stars glittered and the moon was nearly full. She herself didn't want to go back… she thought she had escaped Gardenia High for good. She dreaded that place… Mitzi and her clique… the jocks, heavy in number… other preppy girls….

"This will be an experience" She said to herself in the darkness of her room, "This will be an experience…"

With that, she climbed into her bed, closed her eyes, and drifted off to a restless night's sleep.

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_How will the girls and the guys make it through their first day of school? Will difficulties overcome them? What will other students think of them? Stick around to find out._


	2. Chapter 2 Just the Beginning

**Chapter Two**

**Just the Beginning**

The bell rang at Gardenia High on a Monday morning. Students shuffled about to get to their classes. Freshman, confused as ever, scurried about in every which way while the upper classes walked nonchalantly to their destinations.

The activity swirled about the Winx Club and the Specialists as they tried to take it all in. Instead of reporting to their first class, the group was to go to see the principal in the office first… In fact, they hadn't even gotten their schedules. There was not one person in the group of eleven strong that wasn't nervous.

"Well, would you look at that" a high-pitched voice called out from the crowd of moving students. Bloom knew this voice all too well…. Mitzi.

"Bloom and her reform school buddies actually made it to a normal high school." Mitzi snorted. She then was suddenly confronted with the nastiest look she had ever received from one of Bloom's cronies… Stella that is.

"Mitzi! I had enough of you at that Halloween party to last me 6 lifetimes! And what did I tell you about that nasty perfume?! Dahling! It's horrendous!" Stella yelled, turning a few heads of curious students, who weren't used to seeing Mitzi being called out… especially on the first day of her senior year.

Mitzi stuck up her nose and did a runway walk down the hallway, like she didn't even care about Stella's comment… even if she did.

The bell rang again and by that time the group had taken it as a signal to go to the office where they were supposed to be. Once there, a lanky woman with brown hair pulled into a bun, which grayed on the sides, greeted them. She had rounded thin wire glasses, and numerous wrinkles on her face. She wore a navy blue pantsuit complete with a little rose pin. Her expression wasn't that of a kindly old lady…

"Ms.Cotrell, it's a pleasure to see you again." Bloom said quietly, addressing the woman at the desk.

"And you as well" the principal replied, but instead of looking at Bloom, she was studying her friends. She looked over each of them and nodded. "Welcome to Gardenia High"

The pause between her acknowledging Bloom and welcoming the whole group was almost unnerving to Helia, who thought that he had gained enough confidence to confront situations like this head on, but now didn't feel as if he could. In fact, he felt terrified.

A few of the members muttered a 'thank you', but evidently it didn't reach Ms. Cotrell's standards. "You all seem so excited to be here," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I have your schedules. If you need any help, I'm sure your fellow students will be able and willing to help you out." She opened a drawer and shuffled through a few papers and folders before retrieving a small stack of neatly cut sheets. She set them on the edge of her desk nearest to Bloom, who picked them up. "Have a great day ladies and gentlemen," the principal commented before picking up a pen and scribbling away at a piece of paper.

Bloom nodded, though she knew it went unseen by the one she intended it for. With that, she got up and led her friends out of the office.

"Well, that was nerve racking," said Brandon.

"Really? No." Riven grumbled sarcastically, crossing his arms.

Stella disregarded them both, "Ooooh! Let's see our schedules!" she took a snatch at the papers in Bloom's hands and came up with two. "Helia and Layla" she handed them their schedules.

Each member took theirs from Bloom, and before long, they were sharing looks of disappointment with one another.

"I don't have hardly any classes with you guys." Flora whined. She was afraid that she might not do well in normal classes without her dear friends.

"I think that's the case with all of us." Brandon sighed heavily, comparing his schedule to Stella's. "Ooh honey! We have lunch break together!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Evidently, the school had two lunches; one earlier in the day, the other slightly later. The cause was most likely the vastly large student body. The lunch attendants would sure have a lot to deal with had there only been one single lunch break for the whole school.

"Shouldn't we be getting to our first class?" Tecna commented quietly.

Bloom sighed, "Yes… we should. Good luck guys,"

"Wait, I think you should show us to our classes, Bloom." Sky looked at her. He had confidence in his eyes, but in fact, he wasn't too sure of how the day would go.

Bloom nodded and helped each of her friends to their classes before heading off to hers.

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Flora, Layla and Riven walked into the gym.

"Physical education, sounds like my kind of class" Layla beamed. Riven nodded slightly in agreement, while Flora hung her head. '_At least I have a couple of my friends here with me_' she thought to herself.

A class, all dressed in sports uniforms consisting of sweat pants and a T-shirt, surrounded a tall man with a crew cut and a thin, rectangular face.

"Welcome, students" he said once he caught sight of the three making their way to the group, "Just join in and listen"

The three moved as close as they wished to the group. Riven could see a couple boys talking and laughing and some girls giggling, but soon he had something else to focus on, "Hey Riven, check out those preppy girly-girls over there with their earrings. How to they expect to play basketball with jewelry?" Layla whispered and laughed to herself. Riven just shrugged and turned his attention to one very nervous Flora. It was apparent that they weren't going to be welcomed into the class with arms wide open… the class, and the entire student body.

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Meanwhile, Stella, Brandon and Sky were seated in a history class. A short old woman taught the class, and was writing notes on the board. The three had come unprepared, but thanks to a girl with an argyle sweater and a ponytail, they had plenty of paper to copy notes down, that is, if they wanted to.

Stella had busied herself with the duty of freshening up her makeup during class. She was hard at work with her little handheld mirror in the palm of her hand and the mascara in the other. What she didn't know is that several students were watching her as she did this, including Sky, who had stopped taking his notes to shake his head in pity. And to think that they had to be in class for another hour… at least they hadn't been called on to answer any questions… yet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When lunch came around, half of the school flooded into the cafeteria. One was Bloom, who was looking around desperately for her friends until she heard a familiar snort.

"Oh look, it's Bloom." Mitzi called out. The girls around her gave Bloom nasty looks, the same expressions they used to use on her during her freshman year. Bloom thought she had escaped that once she went to Alfea, but now she was confronted with it again, and just like the good old days of freshman year, she didn't know how to react to it.

"Just leave me alone, Mitzi." Bloom mumbled as she walked to the line of people waiting to get their lunches. Of course, Mitzi and her clique followed her.

"What are you going to eat, Bloom? You really shouldn't, you can't afford to have any more lard. " Mitzi cackled. That statement hurt enough, but for her to say it as loud as she could just made the sting worse. Bloom moved away from the line and walked towards an empty table. Once seated, she just buried her face in her arms. She could hear them laughing.

"Bloom?"

She recognized that voice; the familiar accent made it unmistakably Tecna. She lifted her head up as her friend took a seat with her lunch.

"Why aren't you eating?" Tecna inquired. Her voice and facial expression was full of concern.

"I'm not hungry." Bloom sighed. Her pink-haired friend frowned.

"You can have my lunch if you change your mind." Tecna commented before Riven, Helia, and Timmy sat down. Relief swept over Bloom. She had some of her friends in her lunch; at least she wasn't alone.

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The final bell rang. The first day of school had come to a close and the group reunited outside near the large double doors of the school. Freedom.

"Well, that was interesting." Timmy spoke first.

Riven laughed, "You should have seen it. Stella got her ass kicked today by some chick. She tripped her when she was walking and books went everywhere. It was hilarious."

Stella was fuming, "She had the _worst _outfit on! I just _had _to tell the poor thing! It was just horrible to look at! She didn't have to trip me, I was just stating the truth" she stuck up her nose.

Bloom just looked down while Flora shook her head.

"Stella, sweetie, we're new to this school. Don't hurt other people's feelings already." Flora said softly.

"Flora! It was a fashion _emergency!!_" Stella yelled.

The group started walking back to Mike and Vanessa's house. They were tired of hanging around the school. Not to mention, other students could listen in on their conversations when they were just standing around.

"I didn't like it" Helia said, kicking a rock from the sidewalk and into the street.

"Me neither" Musa agreed.

"I hated computer class." Timmy moaned.

"Same here. The computers at that school are antiques." Tecna complained.

"Mitzi is a witch." Sky said, almost knowing that Mitzi was on Bloom's mind.

"No kidding!" Brandon added.

The group sped up when 'home' was in sight. It wasn't long before they had all filed into the living room. Some chatted about the day, others hit the books.

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Another starry night fell over Gardenia, and the phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, Bloom is here. Hold on a second." Vanessa replied, she cupped her hand over the phone, "Bloom! The phone's for you!"

Bloom took the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi Bloom, guess who? Oh wait, you're too stupid to guess, right? Here, I'll just tell you.. It's Mitzi!"

Bloom hung up.

"Who was that?" Vanessa looked worried.

"No one, mom." Bloom trudged up the stairs. The sleeping bags were all set, and each of the five girls were working on their nightly routine. Bloom maneuvered through the sleeping bags and collapsed on her bed. She sighed heavily and turned over to look at the ceiling.

"Well, somebody had a bad day" Stella commented.

"Stella!" Flora shushed her.

"It's ok, Flora. Let's just get some sleep, ok? It's been a long day," Bloom said.

"Guess what? There is this cute guy in my math class… what a hottie! Who knew earth guys could be so cute? I sure di…."

"Stella! Bloom wants some sleep." Flora interrupted, attempting to quiet her again.

"Sleep sounds good." Musa fell on her sleeping bag.

"Goodnight all." Tecna turned the light out.

"Can I tell you about the guy tomorrow then?"

"Stella… just go to bed."

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Meanwhile, Mitzi was on the phone with one of her cronies.

"I can't believe it! Bloom is back, and she brought her loser friends." She cackled.

"I know! It's like, woah, how could you show your face around here again?" the girl, Sarah, laughed.

"Oh this year is going to be fun!" Mitzi giggled.

"Everyone hates them already, oh my gosh, it's funny. They think they're like, all that."

"They're losers. You know one of them was looking at my boyfriend? She's like, gonna pay" Mitzi growled.

"Really? That blonde guy is cute though, the one Bloom was hanging around." Sarah replied.

"Yeah, totally"

"We have to make their year miserable, it would be so like, funny." Sarah said.

"I bet we could get some dirt on them," Mitzi commented.

"I'll check myspace," Sarah added

"This will be so much fun!"

"I already know some things I want to say to them"

"Awesome. See ya tomorrow" Mitzi twirled her black hair.

"Yeah, totally"

Mitzi hung up the phone and laughed. She sat on her large bed and thought for awhile, planning. Bloom had the nerve to come back to _her _school and let one of her loser friends look at _her _boyfriend… she had to pay… dearly. She might have let her off easy that day, but she wasn't going to play nice anymore… not anymore.

Xxxxxxxx

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much to the readers and reviewers! I'm actually having some fun with this story; I hope you all are enjoying reading it.  Mitzi, obviously, is going to stir up some trouble sometime within the story in the chapters to come. The reason why they are on Earth is also coming up within the next couple chapters. Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 3 That Girl

**Chapter 3**

**That Girl**

The now familiar sound of the bell went off. The Winx Club were all in their respective classes after a very long and hectic morning. Each were already waiting for the final bell to ring, since all knew that it would be another wild day of juggling classes and peers, but the one who was feeling the strain the most was Bloom, having received a call from Mitzi the previous night. She had a feeling that Mitzi had something on her mind.

So when another bell ended the first class of the day, Bloom was careful to avoid Mitzi or any of her cronies, but unfortunately, she was not that lucky.

"Well, Bloom" Mitzi snorted, "that was rude of you to hang up on me"

"Leave me alone, Mitzi." Bloom sighed heavily, hurrying to make it to her next class before too much embarrassment was caused. The familiar sound of high-pitched laugher filled the hallway. Before she knew it, not just one girl was following her, but three… one of which being Sarah.

"Guys, just leave me…"

Laughter sounded off again… that is, after Bloom's face hit the floor and her books went skittering everywhere. Just like in the movies; teenage drama. Mitzi was famous in the school for causing such things.

Mitzi and her clique quickened their pace as Bloom began to pick up her books hurriedly.

"Bloom?"

She turned her face upwards to look at a freckled-face girl with brown hair pulled into pigtails.

"Bloom? Do you need help?" she asked kindly.

"No, I'm fine."

The girl shrugged and moved along to her next class, without looking back. Fortunately for her, she made it on time to her class, but Bloom didn't.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They're just being cruel… so cruel." Bloom cried at lunch, not eating for the second day in a row.

Tecna sighed and pushed her tray of food over towards Bloom.

"We should teach them a lesson," Riven mumbled.

"That wouldn't be too smart. I believe it said in the code of conduct that hurting someone intentionally can get you suspended." Timmy informed him as Riven cracked his knuckles.

"Ok, I'll just save this for you after school then. I need _something_ to take my anger out on"

Timmy gulped as Helia spoke up, "Guys, knock it off"

"I was just kidding," Riven laughed, "I meant that I'll save my fist for those chicks after school, not the nerd." Helia rolled his eyes at his response.

Bloom buried her face in her hands.

"We have to do something about this…" Tecna said, worried about her friend, "Not in a violent manner, but we can't just let these girls torment Bloom anymore."

"And do you have a nonviolent plan, genius?" Riven grumbled.

"Not yet…"

"I didn't think so" Riven smiled, feeling victorious in his strong opinion of the usage of violence.

"Don't talk to her like that" Timmy replied sternly.

Riven rolled his eyes.

"Guys… I just… I'll handle it." Bloom said quietly as she stood up and began to leave her group of friends.

"Now she's just asking for trouble." Riven grunted.

All of the table's inhabitants looked at him with upset expressions upon their faces as Riven just sat back and basked in it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Stella was seated in her math class, filing her nails. She didn't care that she didn't have any of her friends in the class, oh no, just as long as the boy she was eyeing was a permanent part of it, she would be just fine. He was doing his homework, just like the rest of the class, excluding Stella of course. Every time she thought that he was looking her way, she would give off her signature radiant smile and twirl a strand of her long blonde hair in a flirtatious manner. All the while, Sarah was watching her with cold eyes just waiting for that bell to ring so she could give her a piece of her mind.

"Class, you may take a short break from your work." The teacher said, who was preoccupied with grading papers.

Stella made her move first, "Hey there! I'm Stella, what's your name?" she said in the most enthusiastic voice she could force out.

"Kolin. Nice to meet you." He replied, looking up at her as she took a seat on his desk. Sarah was fuming with anger. Soon enough, she walked over quickly and shoved Stella off of Kolin's desk.

"Knock it off you whore! Get away from Mitzi's boyfriend!" she screeched.

"Sarah, it's no big deal," Kolin protested.

"Shut up!" she yelled.

"Sarah!" And adult voice rang out as the teacher's hard stare met Sarah. "You know I do not tolerate that kind of behavior in my class"

Sarah let out an indignant sigh before heading back to her desk while Stella just smiled. _That girl is so going to pay. _

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The final bell rang and the group reunited outside of the school, some standing, and some sitting on the steps leading to the double doors of the high school. They were planning just to hang out and talk to one another before beginning the walk back to Mike and Vanessa's, but there were already plans laid out for them that they themselves have no knowledge of.

"He is soo cute. Oh, it was so funny! She was just like, 'get away!' and stuff," Stella laughed hysterically as she recalled the math class events with her friends.

"Not as cute as me, right sugar dumpling?" Brandon said innocently.

"Oh darling, of course not!" Stella caught herself.

Layla happened to notice the large group of girls and guys heading towards them, "Um… guys? I think we should get going."

"Why?" Musa asked as Layla pointed to the group.

"Well, well, well. Would you look at that? A whole flock of losers!" Mitzi cackled.

The group of students surrounded the Winx Club and the specialists, laughing as they did so. Those surrounding the group started to move away from the school… farther and farther, forcing the members trapped inside the circle to move along with them or else be stepped on by the increasing number of students. The eerie feeling of a fight had intoxicated other students and had brought them over to watch what was going on.

"Leave us alone, seriously." Musa yelled at Mitzi, who didn't take her comment seriously at all.

"Behind me is the Gardenia High Football Team…good friends of mine. They're going to teach you an educational lesson about this place," Mitzi laughed and turned to Stella, "I heard you were flirting with Kolin, my boyfriend. He will never want to look at your face again after we're through with it," she hissed. "Ok guys, let's do this"

The surrounding group started chanting the word 'fight', louder and louder. To Bloom, the world was spinning. She thought having her friends here would help, now, she saw that they couldn't even spare her from the misery she was going to have to endure. They were defenseless… no magic… at least, not unless they wanted to reveal themselves.

Riven threw a punch at the tallest guy on the team and chaos broke loose. People were yelling, the chanting continued, punches were being thrown and the sound of Stella's yelping was overbearing. After five minutes of disarray, the sound of sirens were heard the loudest amongst everything else.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Twelve people total were heading to the police station. Five friends, two preppy girls, and five football players. Riven looked out of the window of a cop's car.

"Riven?" Layla said.

"Yes?" he growled.

"You didn't have to throw the punch at that guy. I could have done it."

"You're a chick, Layla."

"So am I." Tecna said quietly.

"You, Musa and Sky shouldn't even be in this situation." Layla commented.

"I did hit that girl."

"Correction, you scratched that girl…and all Sky did was trip that guy." Layla replied.

Tecna looked down at her feet, "I plead self-defense."

Riven laughed, "I don't. I wanted to punch that guy. Got a good black eye because of it, so worth it."

Layla rolled her eyes, "You know who should be arrested? Mitzi. Why did no one give her away?"

"They used scapegoats. She's too popular and rich to be arrested." Tecna replied.

"I wonder how Sky is faring. Isn't he in the same car with those preppy chicks?" Layla asked Riven.

"Yup. He's probably loving it."

"I can't believe he gave that girl a black eye and tripped that guy." Layla laughed.

"Looks like we're here." Riven mumbled, disregarding Layla's last comment.

The car pulled up to the police station and soon enough they were led into a room. After a few hours of speaking with the police, pleading their cases and telling their side of the story, they were all led out into a waiting area. One at a time, they were allowed to use the phone and call home. The group of five friends sat next to one another and talked quietly.

"We're lucky nobody got seriously injured… nonetheless, some of us could face charges." Sky said quietly to Riven.

"I think the cops are letting us off easy since those jocks came from respectable families." Musa commented.

"Yeah, I think one of their dads is a doctor" Riven mumbled.

"I believe some of us are being charged with misdemeanors for assault and have to pay a fine." Tecna commented.

"Oh joy" Riven exclaimed sarcastically.

"Do you think Mike and Vanessa will kick us out?" Sky abruptly asked, alarmed. Each one of his friends looked at him.

"I suppose we'll see." Layla said quietly, her voice cracking.

"We'll see…"

xxxxxx

_Author's Note: Will some of the Winx Club be kicked out of Mike and Vanessa's home? Why on Earth are they on Earth? The answers are in the next few chapters._

_Sorry this took so long; lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Thanks to all readers and reviewers! Hope you enjoyed reading. :)_


	4. Chapter 4 The Effect Consumes All

**The Effect Consumes All**

**Chapter 4**

"You what!?"

Those two words enough were enough to make Riven, Layla, Musa, Sky, and Tecna shiver, but the fact that Mike and Vanessa exclaimed the two words in unison made them all want to leave the house as quickly as they could.

Mike fell into a nearby chair while rubbing his head, obviously upset about the situation and unsure of how to handle it.

"Dad, we didn't mean..."

"Bloom, I don't need to hear your two-bits right now," he said sternly.

Bloom nodded and left the room after getting the feeling that she wasn't exactly welcome. Vanessa moved from side to side nervously while sharing the indecision with Mike.

"We'll make it up to you, we promise." Sky said, trying to sound sincere.

"I just don't know what to do. You guys were fined, right?" Mike stopped rubbing his forehead and made an attempt to look at the people standing before him, who of which were anxiously waiting for his decision to be made.

"Yes, we were..." Tecna commented quietly.

"Well, I'm not going to spend my hard-earned money on a stupid mistake I didn't make, does that sound fair to you?" Mike scolded. The group reluctantly nodded in agreement. "And since my wife and I are not going to pay off your fines, you have to find a way to do it. There are places around town that are hiring..."

"What!? You mean get a job.... here... on Earth... with the.... Earthlings?" Sky said suddenly, obviously not one that was used to working, or wanted to for that matter.

"You made a mistake, now you have to pay for it" Mike mumbled.

"But, it wasn't even our fault! We weren't the ones that started the fight and we got punished for it." Musa yelped. Mike didn't look moved.

"You have to pay for it somehow." he continued.

"So... can we stay here still?" Layla asked, hoping the answer would be yes. Heck, if they were to work their butts off to pay those fines, it would be nice to come back to a warm and welcoming home with food waiting for them.

"We're going to consider it. The house is crowded enough as it is, and what happened has taken a toll on us more then you can imagine. Our reputations have been hurt, to say the least, since we are housing so called 'ruffians' who like to beat up 'rich kids'" Mike answered.

"But we DIDN'T beat up the rich kids," Musa cried out once again.

"I know it's not your fault, but since Mitzi's family is so dominate around this neighborhood, that is the common word."

Tecna just shook her head and Sky blurted out, "But you can't! We have to pay the fines, and that is enough for us to handle, between schoolwork and all. We just can't afford it!"

"Mike..." Vanessa said softly, sympathy ringing in her tone.

"Vanessa, we have to consider what is best for us and for them. They need to learn..." Mike responded.

"C'mon guys, let's get some sleep." Riven grumbled. He had been surprisingly quiet throughout the discussion, which was probably best. He had felt the urge to sock Mike a couple times, but decided it wasn't in the groups' best interest to have a member who constantly lashed out on other people instead of distributing their feelings of anger in a more productive and less violent manner.

Musa, Layla and Tecna trudged up the stairs and into Bloom's room, where their friends were waiting with eager ears.

"Soo, what happened?!" Stella yelled.

"Shut up, Stella. Just do us all a favor and shut up." Musa grumbled as she made her way past the Solarian princess's sleeping bag.

"Jeeze! I was just asking, you know." Stella twirled her hair while watching Musa take her place in a nearby sleeping bag.

"Stella, it is best not to speak of it, alright?" Tecna said calmly. Layla nodded in agreement.

"Alright, alright. Whatever." Stella rolled her eyes and looked towards a very worried Flora. It was obvious she wanted to ask questions as well, but wasn't for her friends' sake. She was worried about them, but she didn't want to bring it up and make them feel worse if the verdict from Mike was less then desirable for them.

Bloom came into her room from the bathroom and plopped on her bed, overlooking all of her friends in their respective sleeping areas.

"So..." she began, but was cut off.

"Just don't talk about it." Flora said softly while looking at Musa, who had buried herself in her sleeping bag. Tecna rubbed her forehead in a manner that made her appear to be stressed then dropped her hands and looked up at Bloom.

"Do you think you could talk to Mike?" she asked.

"I don't know..." Bloom answered.

Tecna shook her head, "For us, Bloom. Please just try." With that, she laid down and rested her eyes for a moment.

Bloom simply sat on her bed, watching her sleeping friends for what seemed to be hours, but wasn't really that long at all. Musa eventually crawled out from under her covers and sat next to the fairy of the dragon fire and looked her in the eyes.

"I don't even want to be here," Musa looked down at her feet, "If it were my choice, I'd be sitting in my dorm room at Alfea listening to music, like always."

Bloom sighed sympathetically, "Musa, I know. But we had to. Farragonda said it was safest here, with no magic as a threat. Just think about what could have happened."

"I know! I just wish it didn't. I mean, I thought Baltor was dead and gone. But instead he wasn't, and Magix hangs in the balance because of it. I mean, seriously, Earth?! Why not my realm, or Flora's?" Musa clenched her fists.

"Musa, you know why... It's safest here." Bloom said quietly.

"Their idea of a spreading "plague" of violence is stupid."

"It's dangerous for people like us. We have magic, and that is who they're targeting." Bloom replied sadly.

"Baltor and all his cronies..." Musa scowled.

"You mean his increasingly large legion of evil."

"Why!? Magix should be strong, not weak! It's just... pathetic..." Musa wailed.

"With power comes chaos. Even the good are tainted." Bloom said even more quietly then she had been speaking before.

'Where did you hear that kind of crap?!" Musa yelled, "You think you can just sit here, all hunky dory, while our world is falling apart?! You know what Bloom, you wouldn't know. We've lived with magic all of our lives, you _just _ found yours! We have a special connection with our universe. We were born in magic realms! It _hurts _ to see one be attacked like this! We're not _used _ to Earth and to top it all off, we already get into trouble with _your _ past problems! Well you know what, I'm already tired of it!" Musa crossed her arms, "I want to go home." she mumbled. Tears rolled from her eyes and down her pale cheeks. Bloom was stricken with silence, not knowing what to say to console her friend, or even herself. She wondered if Musa knew that what she said had hurt her.

"Musa..." Bloom said, straining to hold back her own tears.

"Yes?"

Bloom hugged her friend, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Bloom... It's not your fault."

The moon shone bright in the sky. The time must have been at least midnight when the two finally found it in themselves to shut their eyes and let relief flow over them, both dreading the rising of the golden sun that would undoubtedly bring the morning with it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I just don't know what to say." Helia said quietly to Brandon that morning. Timmy, Brandon and Helia were sitting on the steps leading from the backdoor of the apartment, in the view of the kitchen window, enjoying the morning rays, but at odds with how to help their friends.

"I'm worried about them. Did you see how angry Riven was last night? He looked like he could punch through a wall." Brandon replied.

"What should we say to them?" Helia asked, ignoring Brandon's comment and still focusing on another dilemma.

Timmy twiddled his thumbs, staying silent during the conversation to think to himself.

"Man, this sucks." Brandon muttered.

"No kidding..." Timmy broke his silent streak.

"At least my girlfriend didn't throw any punches." Brandon kidded. Timmy just looked at him in dismay, "That's not funny."

Brandon's smirk became nonexistent, "Alright, my bad."

"And she didn't punch anyone," Timmy continued, "She just scratched them."

"Oh yeah, with her nails? That's _so _ much better." Brandon laughed. Timmy still didn't look amused and Helia still continued to dwell on his own questions of thought.

"Do you think Rivens' gonna show his face at breakfast today?" Brandon changed the subject.

"Why wouldn't he?" Helia asked, concern obvious in his eyes.

"Well, I dunno." Brandon crossed his arms.

Timmy shook his head, "We should be helping them, not just talking about helping them, and we definitely shouldn't be talking about them behind their backs." Timmy stood up from sitting on the cement stairs and went into the apartment. Helia followed his lead, leaving Brandon outside to think to himself.

Timmy and Helia were greeted with the majority of their friends eating breakfast in a variety of places. Some in the living room, some in the kitchen, and some, though not seen by the two, in their sleeping areas.

Helia took a seat next to his girlfriend in the kitchen, who was sipping hot tea.

"Well..." Helia said quietly.

"Tecna told me that she and the others are going to look for jobs this afternoon." Flora replied.

"Oh..." he responded.

"I'm hoping it all goes well, I'm awful worried... especially for Musa."

"Where is Musa right now?" Helia asked.

"She's trying to talk to Riven." Flora set her tea down, "They all seem awful upset. They're taking this hard. Do you think my special tea recipe will cheer them up?" Flora's face brightened with the hope that maybe she could bring a little joy into their dreary morning.

Helia smiled, "Sure, Flora. I'm positive they'd appreciate it." Though Helia knew it probably wasn't the truth, he knew it would help Flora along if she had a little joy in her to spread around. She usually felt most sad when she couldn't make her friends happy... always selfless in that way. If one act of kindness could brighten up the morning of those "guilty" friends, then the beginning of the day might be better for the whole lot... if only it would work that way. If only things were perfect.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And so the morning passed, and the afternoon was upon the group along with the daunting task for some of finding jobs. Being in a place where none of them were familiar and where none of them desired to be made the idea of finding an occupation in the vast land of the unknown even more impossible in the minds of those who needed the jobs. What made it even worse were their newly gained reputations hanging over their heads...

The front door of the apartment was pushed open to reveal the path waiting ahead of them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note**_: I sincerely apologize for the extremely long time that passed between the last chapter and this one. My schedule has been quite full and homework has been unrelenting. Thanks to all readers and reviewers and please read on! What will happen to the job seekers? Will luck come to them, or will more misfortune befall on them? Find out in the upcoming chapters!_


	5. Chapter 5 Searching

**Chapter 5**

**Searching**

"I'm sorry, but we're not hiring anymore." The girl behind the counter of the electronics store was trying her best to be both kind and sincere, but it wasn't enough to convince Riven to pack up his bags and search for another job.

"What do you mean you're not hiring!? There is a poster in your window that says you are! Maybe you should think about taking that down, am I right?" Riven was furious. He had come into the place and asked for just a simple interview. Now one hour had lapsed and he had gotten absolutely nowhere.

"I've already called the manager. He said he is not accepting any more applications. I'll have to take the poster…" the girl lied in an attempt to get the livid man to leave.

"I want an interview!"

"Well, um, I do think we're…we're accepting _applications_ at this time, sir." The girl's hands started to shake as she murmured. She had only worked at the store for about a month, and never had she been in a situation such as this. The man's appearance was enough to make a normal person pity him some, but his personality was enough to send them off running.

"Well, gimme an application then!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but the manager has instructed me not to." Now she regretted that lie earlier… she was just digging herself into a deeper hole.

Riven was just getting more angry each minute he spent trying to persuade the frightened employee to give him a job.

"I just need a job!" he growled.

"I'm sorry, sir." She said timidly.

Riven emphatically threw up his arms and muttered something under his breath before exiting the store.

There was something about Earth that just flipped his switch and made him even more angry than he had been in Magix. It was the people, and their actions, that enraged him. Everyone acted so fake and superficial. The girls at the high school, the jocks, even the meek girl at the counter appeared to be wearing that timid mask to build a phony personality for herself. It all made no sense to him. What he did know, though, was that the people were _very _different.

xxxxx

Layla and Musa had been walking downtown Gardenia aimlessly. Every shop that looked halfway interesting was not hiring, and the ones that were looked dirty and unwelcoming. The two sat down on a bench off of a sidewalk and took a deep breath.

"Well, if you look at the bright side, we only have to work until we get enough moolah to pay off our fines." Musa stated quietly to console her deeply upset friend. It was the first time that day that she had mentioned something leaning towards an optimistic point of view.

"Yeah, you are right. But we can't pay 'em off if we don't make money, and so far, I haven't seen any jobs that have really interested me." Layla sighed deeply.

"Neither have I."

"It would be so much easier in Magix. If I got fined, my family would be able to pay it off as soon as I could call them." Layla stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah. I wonder how Riven is doing..." Musa held her head up with her hands propped under her chin and elbows resting on her legs, "I mean, he was fuming when we all left the house. Who would want to hire an angry man in a place like this?"

Layla shook her head, "Maybe an anger management counselor that wanted to make an example out of him?"

"That's not funny."

"Sorry."

"I think we should catch up with him." Musa leaned back.

"I guess." Layla wasn't all-game for catching up with Riven. She knew that all it would lead to was the couple going off on their own and leaving her behind. She wasn't too fond of the specialists at all, and she definitely wasn't too keen on them when they took her friends aside.

Musa got up to convey to Layla that they were going to search for him. Layla sat back and wanted to object, but for the sake of their friendship, she got up.

They slowly began trudging along the city sidewalks once again.

xxxxx

Sky felt as though he was weighing Tecna down by following her. She didn't seem to think his coming along would do any damage to her chances of getting a job, but he, on the other hand, was skeptical. He wanted the best for his friends, but he also wasn't one who wanted to go off on this search alone.

"That place looks interesting." Tecna commented as she stopped in front of the electronics store.

"Gardenia Electronic." Sky read. His eyes moved to a large sign in the window, "Now hiring. Sounds like your kind of place."

Tecna nodded and signaled for him to follow with a hand gesture.

A familiar meek girl was standing at a counter in the center of the store, hands typing away at a laptop sitting to the side of the large desk.

"Excuse me, I happened to notice a sign outside stating that you are hiring?" Tecna commented, trying to be sweet, though she naturally didn't excel at that personality trait.

"That's right," the girl answered. She turned away from her computer and grabbed a form, "If you want to fill out this application and bring it back as soon as you're finished, we'd be glad to look it over and maybe even give you a job here. I wish you good luck!" She smiled sweetly as she handed the application to Tecna, who took it with gratitude.

The two walked out of the electronic store with their morale slightly risen, though Sky had a bit of worry on his face.

"I wouldn't worry about getting a job. I don't believe you'll have much trouble." Tecna said. Sky noticed the honesty in her voice, and it reassured him.

After a few blocks,they walked past a fast food restaurant called BurgerVille. Sky paused as he saw the sign reading "Help Wanted".

"Hmm..."

Tecna cringed, "That's a tad low for your standards, isn't it?"

"I just need the money, it's not going to be a permanent job."

"I see."

"You know, in Magix, I could have paid off a fine like this very quickly."

Tecna rolled her eyes, there he went talking about his royal standing again.

The moment Sky walked into the fast food joint, his nose was overwhelmed by the smell of greasy fries being deep fried and burgers cooking. A young boy with freckles and curly red hair stood behind a cash register at a counter.

"How may I help you?" he said with a drone in his voice. It was obvious that he would want to be anywhere but there.

"Um, yeah. I'm looking for a job and I happened to notice the sign..." sky began.

"Ok" the boy said, giving Sky a tired look as he lazily grabbed an application.

"Here ya go. Take your time."

"Thank you very much." Sky took the form.

"Have a nice day." His voice was enough to make anyone think he had gone at least two days without sleeping.

Tecna and Sky walked out of that business with two successes on their shoulders.

"Wow, what luck!" Sky exclaimed.

"Luck? I wouldn't say it was luck." Tecna replied, as if she could dwell on the subject a bit more.

Sky shook his head and sped up the pace. He couldn't wait to get back to Mike and Vanessa's to tell Bloom the great news. He also wondered if he would score some bonus points with her adopted parents because of the fact that he was successful in getting a chance at a job during the first day of searching.

xxxxx

The whole group had returned back to their temporary home before the clock hit five. Thirty minutes later, dinner had been served and each group member had chosen their spot in the living room to eat.

"So... any luck?" Bloom was the first to speak up in regards to the day's "job search".

"No. The stupid chick at the electronic store wouldn't give me a frickin application. To hell with it! There are better places anyway." Riven scoffed. Tecna's face turned even more pale then usual when she heard him speak of the electronic store in which she had been given an application.

"It's ok, Riven. I'm sure you'll find a job." Musa told him gently before rubbing his back reassuringly, "I didn't have any luck either."

"Neither did I." Layla added.

"I did!" Sky announced proudly as he stood up, "I got an application at a restaurant!"

"That's great, Sky!" Bloom gleefully applauded, "Congratulations."

"Oh woo-hoo, the prince boy got a job. Now everyone's happy." Riven muttered sarcastically. The group simply ignored his comment.

Sky cleared his throat, "And Tecna..."

Tecna coughed loudly, "I was unsuccessful. It's a pity, really." She shot a look at Sky, who was confused at that time, but decided it was in his best interest to keep his mouth shut.

"It is a pity that only one of you got a job application. Jobs must be hard to find around here." Flora commented, "But I'm sure that next time you go searching, you'll all come back with ready forms in your hands." She smiled innocently as Riven started mumbling to himself again.

"I'll go tell my parents about your success, Sky." Bloom got up and left the living room.

"Psh. Yeah, your success. I bet she won't forget to tell them how the rest of us failed miserably." Riven said.

"Don't talk about my girlfriend like that! What did she do to you?" Sky yelped defensively.

"Just shut up, no one wants to here you, Prince Charming." Riven shot back.

"Guys!" Timmy tried to intervene, but failed, as he usually did during fights between Riven and Sky.

"You shut up!" Sky yelled.

"Is that the best you got!? You think because you come from a privledged past you can prance around and tell everyone what's up and what's down?! Well you can't!"

"What does that have to do with anything!?"

"Guys!" Timmy attempted again, but failed... again.

"You know what, you're damn lucky to have gotten even an application. If you haven't noticed, everyone else didn't, so you don't need to go around acting like you own the world because you were the only one that got one of those worthless pieces of crap!"

"I wasn't the only successful one!" Sky yelled. Tecna's face paled even more.

"Yeah right."

"No really!"

"Stop! Just, stop. We have all heard enough of your bickering, we don't need any more." Tecna shouted, "Now if you just shut your mouths eat your dinner, we'll all be a lot happier."

"Finally!" Stella emphatically fell over on the couch, "It's about time you two stopped yelling! Sheesh!"

"Shut up you..." Riven started.

"Stop", Helia cut him off, despite the quite tone of his voice.

Riven turned his attention to a piece of paper lying on the floor. He picked it up, opened it and read.

"Who the hell does this belong to!?" Riven growled, "That witch at the store counter wouldn't give me one of these for the life of her!"

"It's mine." Tecna said quietly.

That just ticked Riven off even more, "Oh that's just fricking dandy. That's just peachy! So, they gave you one of these but not me? Huh?! Well, they don't know what they're missing. I stood there for a good hour, at least!" He threw the paper down and stepped on it.

"Sheesh, Riven. Take a chill pill." Stella laughed, breathing the situation in as if it were a joke.

"Shut up, Stella!" Riven yelled with such rage that it made Flora shiver.

"Ok, ok, I was just saying!"

"Stella, I'd stop if I were you." Flora told her softly.

"Whatever, ok." Stella laid back on the couch again as Riven stormed out of the room.

"If I was that girl at the electronics store, I would watch my back." Sky said quietly.

Timmy rubbed his head, "I wonder how school will be on Monday."

"Thank you for changing the subject!" Layla said in an exasperated manner.

"Oh goodness, how do you think Mitzi will act?" Flora asked.

"I dunno. She'll probably treat us like misfits." Musa chuckled.

"Great, we're going to have the whole football team wanting to beat the living crud out of us." Sky shivered.

"We can take em!" Layla shouted with confidence ringing through her voice.

"I'm not ready to take that Mitzi girl again." Helia sighed.

"We have to deal with her sometime." Timmy told him.

Xxxxxx

Bloom had been standing in the doorway watching her friends. She knew that Mitzi would be just awful to her in particular because of her friends fighting with the 'preps' and 'jocks'. Monday would be a horrible day, to say the least, and she knew it. Not only that, but members in the club were also getting fed up with one another.

Another night fell, a night sleepless for some and peaceful for others. All kept in mind that they had one more day of freedom before that bell would ring on that Monday morning. And on that Monday morning, they would have to be prepared... for anything.

Xxxxxx

**Author's Note: I am terribly sorry for the horribly long delay. My personal life has been overwhelming lately… I do hope you all understand. I'll try to write as much as I can. **

**Don't miss the next chapter! How will Mitzi react to the group after the big fight? How will others in the school react? Will any others find a job to keep them afloat? It's all coming within the next chapters!**


	6. Chapter 6 The Looming Monday

**Chapter 6:**

**The Looming Monday**

"What is that again?" Tecna looked a tad confused.

Bloom sighed, "It's called church. That's why Mike and Vanessa were all dressed up and why they left earlier."

"… and what exactly do they do there?"

"Look, we'll save that for another day…"

Sky piped in, "They don't have it in your realm?!"

Tecna rolled her eyes, "It's a big universe, Sky. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has no idea what it was… I shouldn't have asked." With that, she walked off to install the new information into her database as Bloom shook her head.

Bloom and Sky were seated across from one another in the apartment's small living room on that Sunday morning. For now, everything was quite calm. Some were sleeping, some were keeping to themselves, and as for Bloom and Sky… well, they were simply enjoying the peace while they could.

Bloom leaned back into the armchair, "So, have you filled out your application?"

Sky nodded, "I'm sure I'll get it. I mean, who could deny this face?"

Bloom chucked and smiled, "At a place like that? No one. I know I can't and wouldn't."

"That's another reason why I love you."

The fairy of the dragon fire blushed deeply at the comment, as if he hadn't ever said it before.

She was beginning to reply, but she was interrupted by a sarcastic "Aw, isn't that sweet?"

She sharply turned to Riven, "I thought you were asleep!"

"Nope, just woke up," he said, plopping himself next to Sky on the couch.

"I think I'll go make breakfast…" Bloom made the simple excuse to free her from the tension in the room. It seemed that, lately, whenever Sky and Riven were in the same room, the air would tighten around its occupants… almost suffocating, in a way…

"Great, you made her leave," Sky grumbled.

"Psh. Big deal," Riven shot back.

"Look, I don't want to fight right now, dude."

"I actually wanted to convince you not to hand in your application."

"That's crazy"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't."

Sky shook his head, "I don't see why not. We need that money, Riven."

"Look… I just wouldn't… That place is below your _royal _standards, anyway… Erm, you could do better…" Riven was doing his best to mask his ulterior motive for this attempt at persuasion. In truth, what he wanted most was to snatch that job from right under the pretty boy's nose, but he knew his chances were slim if Sky was to turn in that application.

He rose from his seat and made his way to the kitchen to pester Bloom for a while, leaving Sky alone in the room with only his thoughts to keep him company…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Musa looked out of the window in Bloom's room to view the morning sky.

"I just don't know, Flora… I didn't have any luck at all"

"But you have so much talent, sweetie! You just need a place where you can express it." Flora smiled; an occurrence that just radiated her purity.

"Well, there is no place to do that here…" Musa, distraught, pressed her face against the window to hide her facial expression from the other gentle fairy.

"Honey… " Flora calmly started, "It will all work out. Keep your chin up… It will all work out…"

The moment between the two was interrupted when Layla came bursting into the room with a booming, "How do I look?"

She was dressed in jeans with a pale blue T-shirt. The only thing odd about it was the fact that she had pulled her hair back into two pigtails, which, due to her nature, was not something Layla normally did.

"Um…" Flora said quietly to herself before responding to her friend with the simple, "You look beautiful as always, Layla!"

"Good. I saw this gym downtown yesterday… I think I'll check it out."

"But didn't Bloom say that a lot of businesses are closed on Sundays here?" Musa turned away from the window to face the fairy of Tides.

"They are? Well, I'll check it out anyway. See ya'll later!" She waved sweetly and bolted out of the room, obviously excited with her plans for the day.

Musa returned to her sullen state of facing towards the window before saying quietly, "Tomorrow is gonna be hell."

Flora turned her eyes towards the ground, "There's no need to say that… I'm sure it will all be fine."

"Be realistic, Flora. Mitzi is going to tear us to shreds."

"Well, we can still hope that it will all be alright… right?"

Musa got up and hugged her friend. She decided, for Flora's sake, maybe it was alright to fib and agree with her…

"Ok, Flora… Maybe it will be fine."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"SHHNNOOOOKKUUUMMSS!"

Her voice rang out throughout the small apartment. Though it was only intended for one person, most of the inhabitants heard the shriek.

"Yes, Stella?" Brandon sighed, walking into the living room of which Stella had just made herself comfortable.

"I want to go out! Shopping! You know my Sunday schedule. Just because we're on Earth, doesn't mean I'm going to sacrifice my baby!"

Brandon raised an eyebrow, "Your baby?"

"Duh! Shopping!" Stella danced around him.

"Um… ok?"

"Well, let's go!!!" she squealed with delight.

"Um, Stella… We have no money."

"I can just use Daddy's credit card."

"I don't think it will work here…"

"Of course it will, ShnookieBear!"

"Ummm"

Before Brandon could say another word, he was being dragged from the apartment…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, Timmy and Helia were sitting on steps on the outside of the apartment, discussing events. They had found that their friendship was growing closer due to the situations that had occurred in Gardenia. Maybe it was because they both were on the same boat: they both wanted the best for their friends, neither had to worry about finding a job, and both felt as if their opinions were always undermined by the other specialists. The topic of interest for the steps on that morning was Riven…

"Have you noticed how Riven has been acting lately?" Helia asked.

"Yeah… I think something about Earth is bugging him… He hasn't really spoken to Musa all too much either." Timmy replied.

"Maybe that would help him… You know, just him and Musa talking… Obviously no one else can calm him…"

"That sounds like a good idea… We'll have to convince him to take her out to dinner or something…"

"But they have no money." Helia sighed.

Timmy looked up at the morning sky, "The sooner they get jobs, the better I suppose…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, the group was all crammed into the living room, for a "group meeting".

Bloom stood up, "Tomorrow, we'll have a lot on our plates. Riven, Layla, Musa, Sky, and Tecna… you all still have the job situation to deal with. If you have completed applications, turn them in. If not, Saturday will be the day to search again unless you get time during the week. Now the following goes for all of us: Mitzi is definitely not going to play "nice guy" anymore… She's not going to be happy with us tomorrow… and I doubt the jocks that also fought with us will be happy either. We need to stick together the best we can, and watch our backs…"

Stella abruptly jumped up, "I have an announcement! Today, I was mercilessly embarrassed in front of the mall personnel because a certain someone had no cash!" She pointed her finger at Brandon, "I wanted those shoes, shnookums! You never told me that my card wouldn't work! Why didn't you bring money!?"

Brandon buried his face in his hands. He wondered if it was just him, or was she being peskier then ever?

Bloom patted her friend on the back, "It's alright, Stella. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Good!" Stella plopped back down onto the floor.

"Anyone else?" Bloom asked, exasperated.

"Well… that gym was closed today… Just like you said it would be…" Layla said glumly.

"I won't say I told you so…" Bloom smiled, "Ok, anyone else have anything to share?"

"Yes," Sky started, "I decided to turn in my application!"

"…joy…" Riven muttered, but was cut off before he could say anything more by the cold stare of Musa's eyes.

"That's great, Sky." Timmy tried to cut through the tension.

Bloom looked down, as if she had been trying to avoid a certain subject that night, but just couldn't help but discuss it, "Guys, this isn't working out."

The group all focused their attention on the red-haired fairy.

She continued, "Well, you see… Mike and Vanessa are kind of fed up with us, I mean, well, we are living under the same roof, and there's a lot of us…"

"I can see where this is going…" Layla replied somberly.

Bloom lifted her hand up as a gesture to inform them to remain silent, "And they are spending quite a bit of money on us… with food and all… That and time…"

"Ok…and…" Riven asked, still upset about Sky's announcement.

Bloom lifted her hand once again, "And they think it would be best for us… well… if we, you know, tried to get an apartment or something… or stayed in a hotel for awhile or something."

Tecna responded calmly, "Bloom, there is one obvious problem with that proposal… We do not have any money… That, and none of us have even obtained jobs yet. How are we expected to pay for a room at a hotel? Not only that, but how are we expected to pay for an apartment?"

Bloom twiddled her thumbs, "Umm…. Well… I was going to ask my parents, Mike and Vanessa, if I could, I don't know… borrow some money for the first month? Or… I don't know… Yeah…" She cleared her throat, "but whatever the case, by the end of this week… we need to give them an answer on this… So how do you all feel about it?"

"I thought we were doing fine here…" Helia said quietly.

"Yeah, no kidding… Except for that shopping incident… Brandon...." Stella replied, putting extreme emphasis on Brandon's name.

"Yeah, I thought we were doing alright, too…" Layla added.

Bloom spoke up again, "Guys, it's not only my parents… it's… well… us. If you haven't noticed, things around here have gotten… well… stressful."

"You can say that again." Riven responded.

"Yeah… I agree with Riven… Things have gotten… well… tense… around here… With all of us together like this…" Timmy agreed.

"But, I love being with all you guys…" Flora piped up.

"It's not you, Flora… It's just… between a few of us… You know, with all of us together, things are bound to get complicated… boys and girls." Bloom was still twiddling her thumbs as she spoke.

"What makes you think boys and girls can't live together?! I object!" Stella burst out, jumping out of her seat as she shrieked.

Bloom slapped herself on her forehead, "That's not exactly what I meant."

Brandon looked at her, "But that's what you said."

Bloom let out an exasperated sigh, "Alright… moving on… We just have to figure this out by the end of the week, ok? That and the culprits that got caught during the fight need to find jobs and we all need to watch our backs tomorrow at school. Ok? Any questions?" she didn't take any time to pause, "I thought so. Alright, let's all get some sleep. We're going to need it."

With that, the group shuffled off to their designated sleeping arrangements.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In Bloom's room, the Winx Club girls were all situated in their sleeping areas, despite the fact that there were some that were still awake… Those who were not yet asleep heard a quiet, hushed sniffling sound in the room…

"Flora?" Musa asked through the darkness.

Another sniff was heard, "Yes?"

"Are you crying?"

Yet another sniff sounded off, "No…"

"Flora, you can tell us… We are your friends." Tecna responded quietly.

"Tec's right, Flora… It's ok to cry in front of us…" Musa replied.

"It's just so hard… there is so much that we have to do… and so fast… and all the fights… and it's just… it's just… it's just." Flora couldn't stop herself from sobbing.

"Flora…" Musa said soothingly, in attempts to comfort her troubled friend.

Flora wiped her tears, "I just… don't know if I can handle moving out… away from everyone… We'll all be split up… and we can't work things out…"

"Maybe a break from each other is what everyone needs, Flora… If you haven't noticed, things are getting quite chaotic around here…" Tecna stated.

"Look, Flora. Tomorrow is a new day… Just sleep… dream… and don't worry… It will all be alright… It will all be alright… Just like you told me. Remember?" Musa inquired.

Flora sniffed, "Yes… I remember…" She paused,  
"Thanks you guys…."

"No worries, Flora. That's what friends do…" Musa quietly replied.

With that, with every passing second, the room gradually grew quieter, until all that could be heard was each girl's breathing…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note: **Ok, ok… I know… long time, no see. I can explain, really… I can… Let's just say my personal life was overwhelming for a while, as was my academic life… which was just as, if not more, chaotic. The summer is going to be upon be before I know it, so I have a feeling I'll have plenty of time to work on this more often. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

So what will happen Monday? What is to become of the group? Will they ever get jobs? Will they move out? What new surprises will arise… Find out in the upcoming chapters!

And, before I leave you once again, I'd like to give a huge **THANK YOU **to every reader and reviewer. I really, really appreciate your support (I sure was not expected such an outpour of support, to be honest.) **Thank you all!!!**


	7. Chapter 7 That Monday

**Chapter 7**

**That Monday**

The sun rose on that Monday morning… its rays flooding across the eyelids of those who were sleeping, but one was already awake.

While her friends were still snoozing, Bloom had woken up and couldn't fall asleep again. Her mind was filled with worry. _What is going to happen today? How are we going to be treated? How will we focus on schoolwork? How will my friends find jobs? How will we get an apartment? Where will we live? _

She couldn't help but feel responsible. She was the proclaimed leader of the Winx Club, and she felt it was her duty to help her friends in whatever way possible. Had she helped her friends find jobs? No. Had she tried to prevent the fight in the first place? No. She felt she could have kept them away from it all… maybe if they'd gone to another city on Earth… It was her idea, after all, to go to Gardenia: a place so familiar to her… She thought it would be best… But now she was beginning to doubt it, she even felt selfish.

While coming out of her thoughts, she noticed that a soft voice had been speaking to her.

"Bloom? Is it Monday?" Flora asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

Bloom took in a deep sigh, "Yes… I think we should wake everyone up so we can get ready… We have a long day ahead of us."

Flora looked around at the sleeping bags surrounding hers when she noticed that a couple of their former inhabitants were missing… Tecna, Musa, and Layla.

Stella groaned when the sunlight finally was too overbearing for her sleepy state.

Flora averted her glance from Stella, to Bloom, "They must have already gotten up."

"I didn't even notice." Bloom said quietly while flinging the bed sheets off of her body and letting her feet fall to her carpeted floor. Then there was a knock at the door…

"Stella?"

The girls could tell that the voice most definitely belonged to Brandon… That, and who else would ask for Stella first?

"Yes" Stella grumbled, "I'm going, I'm going. I'm awake."

"Ok, good. Mike and Vanessa have breakfast ready when you guys are done."

"Oh goody!" Flora exclaimed while lightly clapping.

Bloom then realized how much Mike and Vanessa had been aiding them… Even though they were kicking them out and forcing them to find jobs, they still had supplied them with food and shelter, if only for a limited time period.

"We'll be downstairs in a minute" Bloom replied.

"Alright."

With that, the girls could hear his footsteps descending down the stairs, which was a sign for them to prepare themselves for the day…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They all stood in a group in front of the school after that dreaded morning. Not one of them wanted to enter that place… The place they had feared all weekend… The place all of them just wanted to forget about… But when that bell rang, they knew they had to.

Reluctantly, they all separated and went to their classes… They were aware that it was going to be an awful day, they just did not know the magnitude of awfulness that was to come… And it all began with Mitzi…

Stella and Bloom had decided to walk to their class together, despite the fact that they could easily be late to class, as they entered the building as the five-minute warning bell was sounding… Before taking solace in entering the classroom, they were greeted by a familiar, but sinister face… The girl with long, flowing black hair, and large pointy glasses stared daggers into both of them. "Where do you think _you're _going?"

Thankfully, the class instructor recognized what was occurring, and sharply called the three students into the classroom. Stella's pink pumps struck the floor with a click accompanying each step, but the sound ceased as she paused in between the rows of school desks. There she spotted him, Kolin… that hunk of a guy… _Mitzi doesn't deserve that cutie… _Stella thought to herself. The sun and moon fairy slowly and seductively made her way to her desk, making sure that Kolin noticed her, all the while she was formulating plans.

When the bell rang to signal the start of class, the teacher started to drone on and on about literature. Bloom couldn't focus her attention on her elder, and instead let her thoughts wonder off to a familiar place where she usually strayed during her stay at Gardenia High. Sure, she was a good student, but she always had trouble focusing… she enjoyed her daydreams much more than school and the world around her.

Stella, like Bloom, was not focusing on the lesson, but unlike Bloom, her thoughts were boy-centric… She was writing down the days Kolin and her had classes together, and noticed that she had math class with him at the end of the day… without Mitzi. She smirked, _That's when I'll get him. Mitzi won't even be able to compare…Hmmm… as for impressing tomorrow… Oh what will I wear? It has to be something new… and expensive… Like that skirt!_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

First hour every day always bothered Riven… It was something about waking up in the morning and coming to a place where he didn't belong… Full of these self-centered ignorant teenagers… He especially hated the bright and cheery morning people. If he didn't have the power to control his anger, he could just punch them right in the facial area some days. He looked at his two other friends, the only familiar faces in the class… Layla and Timmy. Even though they were together, he knew that all of them would be lost. History wasn't exactly a class that any of them were fond of, particularly because it was World History… all about Earth…

At least they had had some words of wisdom from those who had been in the class before… Every other day was a different class schedule for each individual, that is, everything was different except for the lunch hours… Every day, a student either had the earlier lunch or later lunch, there was no switching every other day, unlike the main classes. Despite the confusion, the schedule worked to the club's advantage, since those who had taken a class the day before could tell those who hadn't taken it yet about what was to be expected. That, and there were only four lengthy classes per day…

None of them, though, were quite prepared for the history class… Or the surprise quiz that was handed out after a brief 15 minutes of review…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later in the day, lunch came about for some of the students. Musa was particularly relieved at the fact that she didn't share the time with Mitzi, mainly because of the fact that she was aware that, if she had the same lunch period, there would undoubtedly be drama between her and Stella… Though, she did feel bad for the few friends that had lunch with Mitzi… If only Riven had the same afternoon break, she would have loved to talk to him during her little recess.

"I can't wait for gym tomorrow…" Layla awkwardly began the conversation. The atmosphere at the table was unusually quiet. She looked around at those sitting around the table… Sky was quickly jotting down his capabilities on his application for that fast food joint, Stella was twirling her hair, Flora was twiddling her thumbs, and the rest were staring at Layla.

"Umm… yeah…" Layla looked down towards the table to avoid the stares of her friends.

"Soo… anyone catch any slack from Mitzi today?" Musa inquired.

Stella quickly perked up, "No, but she'll be catching some slack from me!" She beamed like the rays of the sun her powers revolved around.

"I don't think that is a good idea…" Flora said quietly.

"Are you kidding?! She was such a jerk this morning!" Stella squealed.

"Didn't you just say you didn't catch any slack from her?" Sky asked.

"Well, it wasn't _that _bad. I just want to give her a piece of my mind… She's naturally a bitch, you know." Stella giggled.

"Now, now, Stella…" Flora tried to calm her.

Musa turned her attention toward a very quiet Layla. After a moment, she interrupted her calm friend and her uppity opposite.

"Layla, is everything all right?"

All eyes turned towards the fairy from Tides.

"It's just…. I hate this… I hate it here. Everyone is so mean, we're constantly fighting, the classes are strange, the teachers are strict… and to top it all off, we're getting kicked out. I just hate it! I want to go home…" She buried her face in her hands.

"Layla, you know we can't." Sky reminded her.

"I know, Sky! I just wish we could."

In all truth, the whole group felt the same way. Each one of them wanted to return home, but each of them knew that they had to push through it, whether they liked it or not, for at the moment, home was not an option.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The bell rang for the final class of the day. For Stella, it was math class… with Kolin.

She enacted her plan during the class break, where everyone was to get a drink or use the restroom if needed. Instead, Stella decided to approach Mitzi's boyfriend.

"Heeey, Kolin!" Stella said sweetly.

"Uh, hi!"

It only took a moment for Sarah's radar to pick up this exchange of words, and she immediately started pounding towards Stella.

"What do you think you're doing!?" She screeched.

"Why don't you just go away? Gosh, you're so annoying." Stella waved her hand as if she were of a higher class than Sarah.

"I told you last time you did this to knock it off! He's Mitzi's boyfriend!"

"I don't see a stamp on his head that says "Property of Mitzi"." Stella put her hands on her hips.

Kolin could sense that this was not something he wanted to get involved with, so he simply walked away without either of the two girls noticing.

"Oh you little! How dare you waltz into this school and act like you own it! Here's a big newsflash for you, we own it, you don't!"

"How dare I? How dare you for thinking you rule the school in _that _outfit! It's a crime of fashion!" Stella faked a puking noise.

That's when Sarah simply couldn't take anymore. She hurled herself at the blonde fairy, pulling her hair and slapping her. No sooner had Stella kicked her off and they both heard a "suspension!" booming down the hallway. The teacher had caught their little spat…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The group moped back towards the apartment late that afternoon. They didn't believe that their originally high spirits could sink any lower… but they had…

Riven, Musa, Tecna, and Timmy had all decided to walk home separately from the large group, for reasons beyond some of the members' comprehension.

Bloom had been walking with the intent of pulling Stella away from the rest of the group to speak privately with her, and a few blocks before they arrived at the apartment, she had succeeded, only to be interrupted by her blonde friend.

"Bloom… I got suspended from that school for a week…" She stated nonchalantly.

Bloom was enraged, "What!?"

"Calm down, Bloom! It was only a little fight. That stupid Sarah girl…"

"Stella, you need to try to avoid them… Her and Mitzi and their crew… You can't egg them on anymore; we'll just get into more trouble! Don't you see…"

Stella interrupted, "I know! But she so deserved it. All I was doing was talking to Kolin…"

"Kolin?! You _know _he's off limits!"

"Bah! It's no biggie, girlfriend. Don't you worry." Stella bounced back to the group as if nothing had gone wrong… But Bloom knew something had. Before their trek home began, she overheard Sarah sharing information with Mitzi, and she had heard enough to know that Stella was in for more trouble than just a suspension…

Brandon had been eavesdropping on this conversation during the walk, and couldn't help but feel hurt. The words about Kolin especially hit him like daggers to the heart. Something was terribly wrong… Was Stella not interested in him anymore? What had he done wrong?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, the two couples that had separated from the group were also making their way home. The atmosphere among the quad was surprisingly calm for what they had been through recently; in fact, the conversation began on light notes, talking about class, people, and old times…

Musa had graduated to holding onto Riven's arm with ease, despite the fact that it was Riven who was undoubtedly the most tense compared to the others. At least he was a bit relaxed at that moment, with two friends and the person he cared dearly about.

"So, I was thinking, maybe, when we get settled at a new apartment and make some money, we could go to dinner someplace? Just the four of us, you know…" Timmy broke from the casual mold of the previous conversation.

"That's a good idea, Tim" Musa smiled. Maybe dinner could help Riven calm down.

"Yeah, good idea... If we get this figured out…" Riven mumbled.

"I have a feeling we'll be able to work everything out… We just need to get together as a group and discuss our ideas…" Tecna stated.

"Yeah… make sure everyone is in agreement, too…." Timmy responded.

Musa nodded and looked up at Riven. He was a terribly hard person to read, but Musa could tell by the look in his eyes that he was worried. She also knew why he hid it from the others… he hated feeling weak…

The group walked in silence from that point on. But it wasn't an awkward silence… it was one of bliss… of comfort. Timmy eventually slipped his fingers in between Tecna's to take comfort in holding her hand. He hadn't really shown much affection towards her lately during their time on Earth, but it wasn't because he didn't want to. He cared about her to an extreme degree; it was simply the situations that had happened. It seemed they didn't allow for any tender moments, as everything else was overwhelming.

Musa and Riven were also jointly grateful in little loving moments. Things had been especially tense between the two of them, but for now, everything seemed to be at a standstill. The whirlwind they had been caught up in had suddenly stopped, and for now, they were truly content just holding onto one another…

But when they got home, they discovered what the rest of the group had discovered upon their return… The sleeping bags in the living room where the boys slept were all wrapped up; their bags were packed and had been neatly set upon the couch. The same sight was discovered in Bloom's room. Now it was clear as crystal: they were _officially_ being kicked out…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note: * **_hugs everyone * To the readers and reviewers: thank you so very much for all the support! The reason I continue is for you all who enjoy it, and I'm taken aback by all of the positive feedback. A sincere thank you to you all._

_I must again apologize for the delay, though I hope the length of the chapter makes up for it. No, no, I'm just kidding. Truly sorry for the wait; my life has been pretty hectic at the moment. _

_And I'll leave you for now with this:_

_Now that they've officially been kicked out, where on Earth will the club go? Will they ever get jobs? What is Mitzi planning to do? Will relationships crumble, or grow stronger than ever? Will they ever be able to go home? Keep reading to find out! ___


	8. Chapter 8 High Expectations

**Chapter 8**

**High Expectations**

"That wasn't what we were trying to tell you, sweetie." Vanessa was obviously doubtful of the situation… she wasn't exactly ready to let her "baby" leave again.

"Well, what Vanessa is trying to say is that we're not kicking you out _yet._" Mike nervously rubbed the back of his head as he faced his daughter who was sitting across the little round table. The atmosphere in the apartment's small kitchen was extremely tense. Every moment of silence was one of awkwardness between the parents and their daughter. The conversation was definitely one that they had been dreading, but both Mike and Vanessa knew that it had to be done.

"Look, Bloom… Vanessa and I have been searching around for some cheap places… We thought that you guys are old enough to handle yourselves… and the experience of doing so may be very beneficial… We love you, honey; don't doubt that… but we simply cannot handle all of you in this small home.... that and the reputation we've acquired lately is less than desirable… "

"But, but… dad! We can't move out! We have no money! No one has gotten any word back from anywhere… I mean, they've submitted applications, but there has been no word… at all. How can we…" Bloom was speaking a mile a minute before her father interrupted.

"Vanessa and I discussed this. We have decided that we will pay the rent for the first couple months to help you get on your feet… But after that, I'm afraid we'll be cutting off the money supply… unless there is a dire need…"

"But… how much does it cost? We cannot afford it… The jobs they were looking for…"

Mike shook his head, almost as if he was defeated, though he plunged onward into the conversation anyway, "We actually found this place… It's not on the best side of town… but it's cheap. Cheap enough for you guys to afford jointly. It's not the nicest, but it's a good starting point…"

"Oh, that sounds just _great!_" Bloom felt so overwhelmed. How could her parents be doing this? Why would they just _abandon _them?

"We can talk to the landlord about going through it tomorrow… if you guys want to take a look. Trust me when I say this, though… It is the nicest we found for the price…"

"I can't believe this!" Bloom started sobbing. Her mother, who had purposely remained silent, rubbed her daughter's back to console her. "It's just… it's… it's…."

Mike also stood up and tried to console his child, "It will be alright, honey. We'll make sure that you guys are covered. We wouldn't just abandon you…"

Those words made Bloom cringe. They _were_ abandoning them… they were throwing them out… They were leaving them alone to drown in their current problems.

"Sweetie, you all should stay home from school tomorrow… we'll go through the apartment together." She ran her hand through her daughter's orange hair.

Through sniffs and wheezes of sadness, Bloom nodded and agreed. Now she was faced with the problem of explaining this to her friends… That, and what will they think of the apartment? What will _she _think?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was outdated and not very spacious… not what Bloom was expecting at all. She had lived the majority of her life in a mid-sized apartment, but the one she was standing in now just seemed ridiculously tiny, comparatively. Guilt sent a shiver down her spine… She had sugar-coated what her parents had told her when she had spoken to her friends about the place… She had told them that it was large and up-to-date… She couldn't bear to see the baffled expressions… the disappointed stares… The group walked across the dusty hardwood floor, many taking notice to an old window frame encasing a rectangle of glass fragments that had been declared a window. The other window next to it was not in any better shape, with a large crack in the glass being temporarily repaired with large silver duct-tape. The "living room" that they had walked into did not seem like any room they would want to spend any time in.

There were two bedrooms, which was the only pleasant aspect of the place, despite the disrepair both of the rooms were in. The floorboards creaked, scratches were visible on the doors, and tacky wallpaper was put up as a pathetic attempt to hide the cracks in the wall… Both of the rooms were just as bad, if not worse, than the "living room".

The kitchen was also unfavorable… When the group walked into it, the two nerds of the group just cringed. Everything was outdated… and most of these archaic appliances seemed rusty…

What was even worse was the fact that the landlord spoke so highly of it… even though it was in a neighborhood where crime seemed to constantly be present. The building itself was enough to make spectators turn their face in embarrassment. How could such a nice town let a building such as that remain planted on the ground? It was a mystery…

The group looked at one another after they had finished their tour. The living room was the only space that could accommodate the whole group comfortably, so, instinctively, they had gathered there.

"Well, not bad. Not bad at all." Riven cracked a smile.

"Shut up, Riven. You know how terrible it is." Brandon shot back.

"Terrible!? It's _worse_ than terrible!!! This place… it's… _horrendous!" _Sky almost squealed as he said the word, which is why he only gained disdained glances from his friends. They didn't understand… he was used to living in luxury… He was a prince who had lived the vast majority of his life in an elaborate castle in a gorgeous realm. He was not used to little apartments like the one they were standing in. He was not used to working or trying to find work. And he definitely was not used to actually _living _with _all _of his friends… _They don't realize how absolutely terrible this is… If only they could see it like I do… This is awful…_

"How much is the rent per month?" Timmy was almost afraid to ask the landlord this question… He was hoping it was not too much after seeing the quality of the apartment… but then again, they were in Gardenia. Sure, the neighborhood wasn't the best… but Gardenia was a fairly nice city; complete with several shopping areas and a very high-quality downtown.

"$375" the man stated matter-of-factly.

Every member of the group exchanged worried glances. This was the best they could get for that price?

"Nope! Let's keep looking! Not nice enough." Stella crossed her arms.

"I don't know… that's pretty high… I mean, none of us have jobs yet… and this is… roomy…" Flora was always trying to make the best of a bad situation, though this time, her attempts were highly unsuccessful.

"All of us… together… here? All of us?!" Brandon nearly shouted the obvious.

"Well… we're all friends, right?" Layla inquired.

Stella's mouth dropped. Completely ignoring Layla, she blurted out her thoughts, "You're kidding. I require my own room!"

"You've got to be joking, Stella. Look at the situation we're in! Do you honestly expect to be getting your own room?!" Tecna shot a nasty look at her blonde friend, who seemed to slink away from the technology fairy to avert her cold gaze.

"Ditto… Stella, honestly… think before you speak." Musa shook her finger at the princess.

"Oh BAH!" Stella stuck out her tongue.

"I've had just about enough of you…"

Every set of eyes turned to the person who spoke those words. The voice was almost quiet in its softness…

"Helia?" Flora asked, shocked.

"Yes. Helia. I'm tired of this! All of this!" The anger flushed red across his face, "I honestly don't know what is wrong with all of you! You're just making this ten times more difficult!"

The landlord simply sat back and viewed all of this… almost content in his lean against the wall. He was a lanky man with thick, straight black hair and an eerily convincing smile. He could tell that this group was going to be an interesting one, for sure. Not only that, but he found a couple of the girls to be rather attractive…

Unfortunately, the group did not notice the onlooker, and continued to argue amongst themselves until tears flowed from Flora's emerald eyes. Soon after, the group thanked their "tour guide", and trudged back to a home they would soon no longer have.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three friends were sitting around the small table in the kitchen that night; the geeky girl, the musically talented, and the athletically skilled. Though very different in interest and personality, each girl shared a couple things in common. They all were living through the situation in Gardenia, and each of them had been involved with an earlier "crime".

Tecna broke the silence, "You haven't forgotten the fine we have yet to pay, correct?"

"Oh shit… that's right…" Musa threw her head onto the table emphatically, "How the hell are we supposed to take care of that!?"

Layla rubbed her forehead, "Yeah… maybe all of us need to find jobs."

"That would probably be the best move… We have that fine, rent, basic household amenities for the apartment, groceries for twelve…" Tecna rubbed her forehead with two of her bony fingers.

Musa groaned, her face still planted on the table.

"We're just going to kill each other, won't we?" Layla struggled to prevent her voice from cracking. She couldn't believe how low they had sunk. It felt as if they were all drowning and none of them knew how to swim, nor was there any help to be had.

"I do hope not." The technology fairy continued to rub her forehead.

"What are we going to do?" Musa mumbled miserably. Layla rubbed her friend's back in a comforting manner.

"I suppose we'll play it by ear." The fairy from Tides responded.

Suddenly, Flora waltzed into the dining room.

"Hey girls… I was just wondering… do you think the landlord would allow animals… Like, a cute puppy, or an adorable little kitty?"

The three looked at her; astounded.

"Oh my goodness, Flora… You're kidding." Musa lifted her head up from the table to flash her purple eyes at her dear friend. "An animal? In a teeny tiny apartment that twelve people will be living in?! Seriously?"

Flora's radiant smile quickly turned into a very deep frown, "Oh… ok…" Flora left the room sulking like a little child who didn't get a toy they wanted.

"Are we all going insane?" Layla turned her eyes once again to her two friends.

"It honestly could be worse… trust me." Tecna replied.

"Well… I only wish I could keep that mindset." Musa leaned back in her chair.

"Oh… I just realized… school tomorrow… At least we were able to skip today!" Layla smiled, trying to brighten the mood.

"Yes. That was pleasant." Tecna nodded.

"Ditto." Musa twiddled her pale thumbs.

With that, the trio left the kitchen and walked up the stairs and into Bloom's room, where Stella, Flora, and the fairy of Sparx were all sleeping. After unpacking their sleeping bags and rolling them out, they attempted to fall into a deep slumber, only to be bothered by insomnia paired with worry about the next day.

Musa looked up at the ceiling which seemed to be written with her thoughts, _Maybe tomorrow will be a good day… Maybe someone will receive a response from their application… Maybe we can search for jobs again tomorrow… Or maybe another fight will happen… Maybe Mitzi and her crew will be worse than ever… _

It was almost two in the morning before every last occupant in Mike and Vanessa's home had fallen asleep…

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**Author's Note: **_Hello all! As always, sorry for the delay… (schedule = full… again.) Thanks, as always, to all readers and reviewers. I continue this story only for you all. ____ I'm hoping you all enjoyed this installment… my sincerest apologies for the length. Hopefully I can get the next one up sooner! ;)_

_Will the Winx take the apartment? Will anyone find (or actually get) a job? What will Sarah and Mitzi do when they come back to school? Can Mike and Vanessa handle the whole group for much longer? Answers to these questions and more within the next installments! _


	9. Chapter 9 Nerves, Worries, and Pride

**Chapter 9**

**Nerves, Worries, and Pride**

"It's just not going to happen." Riven ran his hand through his hair in exasperated frustration and faced Timmy, the one specialist he felt he could talk to about the situation at that time. It was their lunch hour, and somehow they had managed to free themselves of their female friends in the cafeteria for a time, who of which seemed to be preoccupied with eating at that moment anyway.

"Well, to be honest, I do not know how we're going to make it work either. We're already driving each other crazy. Throwing us all together in a little box of an apartment is not going to improve the situation, that's for sure." Timmy's statement was paired with a heavy sigh.

"There are just a few of you I can't live with… I swear, if I hear one more word out of Stella about her and how privileged she was and how she should never be exposed to this kind of living... one more word and I just might have to…" he clenched his fists.

"It will be ok, Riven. We definitely need to figure something out," the geeky man pushed the frame of his glasses further on the bridge of his nose and sighed once again, "I honestly think some of us should search for a place elsewhere… "

"That's just it. We can't afford it."

"Well… you are going on the job search again this afternoon, correct?"

"Yes." He mumbled, remembering the agony that he would have to suffer through once again.

"I'll tell you what, I'll go with you and try to find a job as well. That way, maybe we could find a way to afford splitting the group."

"Sounds good. Too bad neither of us will get a job." Riven laughed. Timmy pitied his friend's extreme pessimism, but at the same time, he was glad he had the chance to discuss the matter with him. He honestly wasn't too keen on the idea of everyone living together, either, though he simply was not so quick to express it.

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"I HATE HER!"

Fortunately, school had ended for the day without any major issues. Unfortunately, Stella still found something she could gripe about. The club had decided to stick together during their job-finding excursion, so on that fine afternoon, the lot of them were filling the sidewalks of downtown Gardenia.

"Who, sweetie?" Flora's voice just dripped with the sweetness she seemed to carry with her everywhere she went.

"Flora… it's best not to ask." Musa winked at her friend.

"That SARAH!" Stella screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh boy… here we go again." Layla sighed emphatically.

"She is just hell-bent on letting me know that, oooh, Kolin is Mitzi's property, and oooh, Mitzi is the greatest. Well you know what!? I am a zillion times better than Mitzi! Just look at her!" The blonde's mouth seemed like it was moving a mile a minute and she had long since made up her mind to continue her rambling at her friends' expense. She didn't even seem to pick up on Brandon's disdained expression as he tuned in carefully to what she was saying. Every time he heard the name "Kolin", his face fell even further.

"Alright!" Bloom interrupted Stella's ranting with a loud, enthusiastic: "C'mon Winx Club! Let's find us some jobs!" She then ducked into a little fashion shop along the sidewalk, which was a clear signal for the rest of the group to disperse.

"Me? Get a job? Pa-lease. Not happening." Stella plopped her rear onto the nearest bench as the rest of her friends went in various directions. As they were all out of hearing range, Stella looked over her nails and muttered a few words to herself, "And anyway, I have a much better idea when it comes to cash." She snickered and continued to examine her fingers.

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Musa had dragged Layla to one of the only places in Gardenia that both of them knew thoroughly about: Club Rave (1). They both remembered it so fondly from their sophomore year: the music, the dancing, and their little run-in with a Gardenia gang. During one of the tiresome hours at school, Musa had suddenly remembered the club that was so nicely tucked away from the main street. _Maybe, just maybe, they're hiring. That would just be perfect!_

Musa's thoughts were interrupted by Layla's disappointed voice, "No help-wanted sign." She turned to her pale friend with cheerless eyes.

"Let's go in and see if we can change their mind on that." Musa threw the doors open and immediately was confronted with a beat playing at her ears. It felt almost like the clubs in Magix where some of the girls would spend countless nights dancing the night away and flirting with the more handsome locals.

The two made their way to a counter where a skinny pale woman was selling food and drinks. Layla cleared her throat apprehensively, "Hello there! Um, we were wondering if you, um, if you have any room for a couple employees?"

The girl look puzzled, but then seemed to resolve this within herself, as her expression quickly changed to one that revealed an "ah-ha!" moment. "I'll take you to the manager. Come on." She beckoned the two jittery fairies with her hand.

They navigated themselves through a maze of dancing people before reaching a twirling staircase. This led to a little room with a large class window overlooking the action on the dance floor. The woman opened the dark doors to this room, revealing a rather heavyset man with his chair facing the window.

"Boss, these chicks wanna talk to you 'bout somethin." She left quickly, which was rather unnerving for the already-edgy Layla and Musa.

"Yes?" His voice was deep and hoarse, but, despite what the girls were expecting, it was not the least bit threatening.

"We were wondering if you… um… had room for a couple more employees?" Layla asked as kindly and politely as she possibly could.

"And your qualifications?"

Musa piped up, "I've had experience with music-mixing and filling in for DJs at some other clubs… I also am a musician myself… Um… I've taken a great many music classes and have been involved with some concerts at my school."

"Yeah, and I dance and have… um… a great amount of musical talent as well." Layla added, despite her little fib.

The man nodded, almost as if he was granting his approval. He then went to a desk and grabbed two pieces of blank paper as well as two pens.

"Write your names, addresses, and phone numbers. I'll get back to you. If I haven't called you in one week from now, forget about the job. Get on your way now."

The two started writing furiously before it hit them: they didn't have a permanent address, nor did their cell phone numbers work on Earth. Fortunately, they both silently agreed to use Mike and Vanessa's information, as it was the only option, and they desperately needed the job.

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Later that night, the whole group was moving their baggage from one home to the small apartment. Luckily, each member had successfully obtained applications for several different jobs: from waitressing to cleaning hotel rooms. Though, it did take quite a bit of time and effort before this great feat was accomplished.

After an hour of packing, moving, speaking with the landlord, and then unpacking, the group was finally "settled" into their apartment… the first night of them living together.

All but three of the friends were sitting in what they liked to call their "living room" when Sky decided to make an announcement, "Hello everyone! I would like to tell you that I start working at the Crispy Burger next Monday after school!"

Riven rubbed his temples. _This is exactly why I did not want to live with everyone. What an idiot. He thinks he is the most important being in the room and has absolutely no sympathy for those who aren't as lucky as he is… If only he knew what living was like without that crown of his. _

"I got an application at this cute little shop downtown!" Bloom nearly squealed with joy. After walking out of that store, she had felt a new sense of accomplishment as well as relief. The worries that used to cloud her mind were now beginning to clear, and she was showing signs of hopefulness again.

"I got an application at a restaurant! I might be a waitress." Flora beamed with pride. She didn't tell them that it didn't take her long at all to get that application. The owner recognized her timid gentleness as well as her soft kindness and had instantly given her the waitress application, almost promising her the position as she did so. "They were really nice there," she added, "I hope I get the job! I would love to work there."

Riven continued to sit through it all; listening to each one of his friends share what applications they snatched up in hopes of gaining a job. He felt angry that everything seemed to work perfectly for them while there he was, struggling with getting a job, struggling to make nice with everyone, struggling to not unleash his anger during the hours at a school he absolutely despised… as he was struggling just to live there on the unfamiliar Earth…

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Tecna and Timmy had both managed to free themselves from the little ring of friends in the living room and were pouring over a laptop in one of the small bedrooms. No one knew what they were up to, and quite frankly, some had decided that they had no desire to.

"Any word?" Timmy asked nervously as Tecna scanned the computer screen.

"It has only gotten worse, from what I've read. We're not going back home any time soon if it persists in such a way." She frowned and turned to face him, "I almost feel guilty for not trying to prevent the situation from worsening."

"Farragonda decided that we shouldn't… She believes that the group of evil beings is far too large for any of us to handle without getting killed… I mean, I'm sure we could put a dent in it with all of our skills combined, but she fears too greatly for our safety."

"Maybe our aid is a last resort?" Tecna asked with the slightest bit of curiosity in her tone.

"Maybe…" As hard as Timmy tried, he felt as if he was giving no comfort to Tecna. But he knew that any comfort he did give would be faulty, for he himself was constantly dwelling on the negative aspects of the situation, despite his constant effort to maintain a smiling mask and look on the brighter side.

The two continued to go through page after page of information concerning the onslaught of villains in their home-realms. With each page they read through, both were searching for the little bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, their stay on Earth would not have to be as long as they had been told it would… Maybe it would all just go back to the way things were: normal.

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Stella had made herself comfortable in the other bedroom. She slowly locked the door before returning to a cumbersomely large, albeit highly couture, bag she had dropped on the floor when she had first entered the room. The room was nearly silent, except for the mumble of the discussion taking place in the living room. Stella was confident that all of her friends were preoccupied. _I think it's so funny that I thought of this. They're all getting jobs. Well, a princess like me doesn't need a job… especially when this princess has magic to get her way… _

She unzipped the large bag to reveal several stacks of 100 dollar bills. She smiled, basking in her pride, not for once feeling guilty as she started going through each bill and counting them one by one…

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**Author's Notes:**

(1): The club I'm talking about was featured in the episode "Gangs of Gardenia" during season two. The problem? I have no idea what the name of it really was, if there was a title… so I named (or re-named) it "Club Rave".

Well, I'm back with another installment, and boy do I have some plans for the next few chapters! *maniacal laughter*

*cough* Just kidding… Though I do have some events planned that you may want to stick around to read about. Such as, how in the world Stella got all of that cash. Can the group stand each other for much longer? Will Mitzi cause any more trouble? What is it about that sneaky-looking landlord? Will every member get a job? What in the world is happening in Magix?

These questions and others will be revealed during… *pauses for dramatic purposes* the upcoming chapters!

As always, thank you so very much for the continuing support! Thanks for your time, and I'm sorry, as always, for the delay. I do hope you all stick around for the next installments! ;)


	10. Chapter 10 Beauty and Disaster

Chapter 10

The Saturday of Beauty and Disaster

The Saturday sun beat down upon the pair as they faced the decrepit building. The paint was peeling off of the bricks, which looked a little worse for wear themselves. Three windows in the front of the apartment building were boarded up, a quick fix for the shattered glass paired with a blatant reminder of the lack of money for their repair. The two story building looked anything but proud surrounded by its neighbors: taller buildings, all in a state just as undesirable as the smallest of the block. Yet there it still stood, in all its disrepair. It seemed to just be longing for some inhabitants; something that it looked to had been lacking for quite a while.

"There's just no way." Riven immediately voiced at the mere sight of it, shaking his head emphatically.

"We talked about a solution the other day, and we discussed another apartment… I found that this may be something within our budget if we do get the jobs we are hoping for…" Timmy studied the exterior of the building, worry building in his mind, but hopeful optimism written across his face.

"You're kidding. This is the only place we can afford?"

"Well, unless you want to live in an alley and sleep in a dumpster, yes, this is the only option."

After hearing this, Riven began to slightly concede, "How many do you think we can fit in the rooms?"

"We can probably fit four or five, at most. I'd say only four to be at all comfortable. Do take note that we'd only be able to afford one floor." Timmy nervously studied his shoes.

"Great," Riven sighed, "Just excellent." Despite the deep discontent in his tone, he was privately satisfied with Timmy's find. It was perfect, albeit a bit of a fixer-upper. Ideal for a small group… a group he could handle. He had already made up his mind as to who he would be sharing that small apartment with, and Timmy was totally oblivious to it.

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Saturday proved to bear the opportunities that Helia wished it would. The weather was wonderful: the sun was shining; its rays warming the small city of Gardenia to a comfortable degree. With all the chaos and stress surrounding their stay there, he longed for some relief, and he had finally found it.

He walked with his flower-loving girlfriend to the nearest park, an attractive spot with an array of various flowers, plants, insects, and people. Complete with its wiry artistic benches and neatly placed walkways, it was a serene paradise for the couple to get away from the troubles that the rest of the city burdened them with. They sat on a bench to take pleasure in the view. Due to each being incredibly timid and quiet, it took quite a while before one decided to break the ice.

"A waitress?" Helia asked with sincere curiously.

Flora knew exactly what he was talking about, "Oh yes. I'm sure of it. The owner really liked me… She was extremely friendly. They showed me around the place. It looks like so much fun."

Her optimism was inspiring to the artist, "Oh, that sounds good." He fidgeted a bit, "There's a factory… a bit outside of town… I found a job there."

Flora recalled his mention of this during the discussion at the apartment earlier that week, but he hadn't gone into the details at that time, but she thoroughly expected him to explain it now, "Oh… um… what will you be doing?"

"Simple. Packing boxes full of the company's product so it can be shipped."

Flora was extremely dissatisfied when she heard this. She had seen the extent of Helia's talent as an artist, and completely resented the fact that it was going to waste. Instead of expressing this, though, she could only offer a single word for her response, a gently spoken "Oh…"

The two sat completely silent for the time after that. They took in the beauty of the surrounding scenery and watched the people pass by… the awkwardness building with each passing moment, but with it, another feeling was slowly coming about. Something comforting and truly soothing: relief.

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Mitzi and Sarah avoided the sunshine like the plague: fake tans were their forte; actually soaking up some real sun was unheard of. They sat on the king-sized bed in Mitzi's suite in the upscale apartment her parents owned. The room was an ornate blend of old and modern: an iPod lying on the antiquely-framed bed, a family heirloom in the form of a mirror hanging on the wall, just a few feet away from Mitzi's computer decorated with pink glitter and girly stickers.

Despite all that her parents gave her, Mitzi was never satisfied. She always wanted something more… another dress, more money, another puppy, a different boyfriend. At that time, it was something different, yet familiar. Like years before, she wanted Bloom to be miserable… but unlike her desires in the past, she also longed to turn Bloom's blonde counterpart's life into a living hell.

"Kolin better not be flirting with that whore." Mitzi screeched, unleashing her outburst of anger on her friend.

"Oh, he isn't, but she is. I swear Mitzi, we need to do something and we need to do it now." Sarah twirled her long hair and stared at her fuming companion.

"We'll plan something alright! That Stella girl will wish she was never born! Her and Bloom!"

"I think we should snatch that guy…" Sarah started chewing her bright neon pink gum obnoxiously.

"What guy?" Mitzi asked quizzically.

"You know what guy! Sky! The one with the muscles… the blonde? With blue angelic eyes?" Sarah blushed deeply as she recollected his image.

"Oooh yeah! Bloom's oh-so-precious boyfriend! Great idea… where is he?" Mitzi demanded an answer.

"I dunno. Maybe at Bloom's house? Wait, no… A guy like him wouldn't be cooped up in that house… He's probably out…" She smiled at the thought of him walking around the streets of downtown Gardenia… probably hitting all the best clubs… Looking his best and impressing all. She didn't try to suppress another flush of red in her cheeks.

Her daydream was abruptly interrupted by Mitzi's shouting."Let's find him… now!" Mitzi took only a moment to grab her purse and lead the way for her friend to follow. They were officially on a mission to find Bloom's prince charming.

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Every time the phone rang, the two fairies nearly flew out of their seats. Musa and Layla spent their Saturday tucked away in Mike and Vanessa's home, sitting around a table just staring at the telephone. Every single time Mike answered it, they would gaze at him with pure anticipation, but, to their dismay, the person on the other end never asked for either girl… The chances of getting that dream job were getting slimmer and slimmer…

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Sky and Brandon were sitting on a bench in the downtown area of Gardenia. The two had been window-shopping… though they knew that buying the clothes they desired would be an impossible feat. They had given up, after eyeing several disheartening reminders of what could be if they only had the money. At that moment, a pink convertible pulled up. It contained two thin girls… two girls that the boys recognized immediately: Sarah and Mitzi.

"Heeey guys!" Mitzi waved, her nasal-pitch ringing in the air.

The two boys waved, unsure of the reason why they were talking to them.

Sarah beckoned them with her hand, "Wanna grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, we'll promise you a fun time… Promise!" Mitzi pleaded.

Brandon looked at Sky, who immediately shook his head, "I can't Brandon… Bloom would kill me."

"C'mon, she doesn't have you on a leash does she? Why not just hang out with them once?"

"I couldn't do that. They're the ones that got us into trouble in the first place, I don't want to stir anything up again."

"Sky, it's harmless. Nothing will happen." Brandon was simply beginning to lack care. _If Stella can flirt shamelessly with Kolin, why can't I hang out with a couple of different women? What's so wrong with that? _At that time, not only did it seem fair, but it appeared to be something particularly enjoyable… but that could have also been a false feeling, as the desire for revenge had been flowing through his veins since the first day Stella had shown interest in Mitzi's boyfriend.

Sky reluctantly gave in, and the specialists hopped into the back of Mitzi's vehicle. Little did Sky know how terribly wrong Brandon was about the situation. They were in for one wild ride…

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Author's Note: Oh, I hate to throw another lead-in for a bigger and better chapter out here, but it was the only way it would flow together nicely.

I do apologize for the short size of this one… trust me when I say that the next will be longer.

I also sincerely apologize for the two-month wait… I have been overloaded with homework and work… That and college planning. I haven't had free time for much of anything…

How in the world is Stella getting her money? Who will Riven allow into the apartment? What is planned for Brandon and Sky? What about that creepy landlord? Will everyone get jobs? Find out in the upcoming chapters!


	11. Chapter 11 Mistakes of Decisions

**Chapter 11  
Mistakes of Decisions**

Stella paid a blind eye to Mitzi's bright pink convertible speeding by as she strolled into the small, locally-owned and operated clothing store. Her beautiful, long, blonde locks and sparkling golden orbs of eyes gave no hint as to what uncompassionate schemes her mind continually churned throughout the days. Stella shone with untainted, innocent splendor externally, giving absolutely no reason in the world for the store owner to be suspicious or to have doubts about her intentions, even though she very well should have. The blonde beauty walked up and down the rows of rainbows of clothes with absolute pure confidence.

She smiled sweetly at the clerk behind the counter, and began to make such kindly small talk. Before the woman could even realize what was happening, Stella had her under a trance. She had used hand gesticulations accordingly, as magic would flow freely from her palms, catching the clerk's eye and leaving her entranced and enchanted. Magic-induced hypnotism: it was a sly trick she picked up at Alfea. As she thought about it, she couldn't quite remember the class in which she absorbed it, but all that didn't matter now. She was in the middle of her most intelligent scheme. Stella smirked as she finally completed the magical process, than she began to enact the next part of the plan.

She talked quietly with a beautiful, melancholy tone. She gave the clerk instructions, and before too long the brunette behind the counter was removing money from the cash register and handing it right to the fairy of the sun and the moon. Stella made completely sure that no other person entered the empty store as she stuffed the money into designer purse. When she'd packed every last penny into that pink leather bag, she made her way towards the storefront, grabbing the clothes she deemed attractive on her way. Before making her exit, she paused in the doorway and snapped her fingers, releasing the clerk from her trance. Of course, she made a quick dash out the door before she could even be seen.

No one suspected that a person with the looks of Stella could have done what she had. A blonde with clothes in arms and a stuffed purse was not an uncommon sight. _If I keep this up, maybe my stay here in this dinky little town will be a lot better than expected. Hah! And they'll never know. And they think I'm stupid; I figured out a decent way to survive this crisis while they've just been trying to suffer through it. That's what they get for thinking me a dumb blonde. He he he; I'm just absolutely brilliant, and gorgeous, too._

She complimented herself all the way back to the vacant apartment, where she then stowed away her newly-gained treasures.

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Timmy and Riven remained on the same side of town as their perspective apartment. They'd spent the afternoon discussing all the nooks and crannies of their future operation when an inevitable question came about.

Timmy fidgeted a bit on the wooden bench, which faced another row of different decrepit apartment buildings, "Soo… maybe we should figure out what other two or three people will be staying with us."

Riven's lips curled into an almost sinister smile, "Oh, I already know who we're sharing the place with."

His nerdy friend was absolutely startled by this, "What? You've got this all figured out already? No, no… No, we need to work this out together. We need to discuss this."

"No, my friend," Riven slapped Timmy's back, causing his body to forcefully jerk forward under the pressure, "no discussion needed. I've got it figured out. It's done."

"No! Riven! No, you don't get it, I _want _to discuss this…" Timmy was practically begging.

"It's non-arguable. I've got it, it's done. The list is done. No discussions. Trust me."

"As much as I want to, Riven, I'm a bit fearful of who…"

Riven cut him off, "Just cut it out, man. Just cut it out and don't worry about it."

After a few minutes of silence, Timmy finally piped up again with an enormously meek tone, "So… who is on this list?"

Riven smirked for a minute and put his fingers up to his chin, as if he was deeply contemplating the question, "Well… I was thinking three people, for sure. One person, of course, being Musa."

"_No_, as if I didn't know that one."

"Ok smart-ass, if you're so sure about the rest of the future apartment-dwellers, than I don't need to tell you."

"No! Riven, I mean, ok, sorry, just, _please_ go on."

"Fine, hmmm… then I was thinking Bloom or Layla, or both…" Riven continued. Timmy's inquiries had become all too tempting for the specialist; he had to toy with his nerdy friend, if only a little bit.

Timmy's heart just sunk, but then it found hope once again. "Just one. Um, I'm not too fond of either of them…" he fibbed.

"Ok then, Bloom." _That should make the little prince squirm. _"Now who else? Hmmm…" At this point, it was apparent that any other guys were not even in the possible pool.

"Riven! Please just let me pick one person! This was partially my idea, you know."

"Maybe I should just drop you and invite a couple more women." Riven scoffed. Despite a complete lack of emotion on the outside, he was affected by his friend's pained expression, and quickly revised his previous statement, "Alright, you can have your geeky girlfriend. But keep the couple crap to a minimum, ok?"

Timmy almost blasted back with a cheap shot about him and Musa, but decided not to push his luck, "Deal."

As the sun fell over Gardenia, the decision was finalized. Bloom, Musa, and Tecna would be invited to live in a separate apartment with the two specialists. Now it was only a matter of them accepting… well, that and affording it.

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Sky's eyes were blinded by the multi-colored lights; his ears booming with house music; his mind trying to make sense of all the moving shapes on the dance floor. Brandon, on the other hand, took it in stride and walked right into the moving crowd with Sarah arm in arm.

"What is this?" Sky turned to Mitzi.

She snorted, "Haven't you ever seen a club before? Ha ha, this is _the _club. It's the bomb! It's Club Rave!"

Sky nodded and before too long Mitzi had dragged him onto the dance floor. The repeating beats soon forced his feet to move. The other people around him were enough persuasion to finally get him to dance. After a time, Sky even began to experience something he hadn't planned on feeling that night: he was beginning to have fun.

Meanwhile, after a short period of dancing, Brandon had situated himself in a booth next to Sarah, whose eyes just followed Sky as they had for most of the night. It only took a short while for Brandon to have his fourth wine in hand, and at that point he was beginning to slur his speech and flirt shamelessly with Mitzi's friend. He said things he normally wouldn't, and particularly exaggerated several others, and all the while Sarah was disconnected from the conversation, nearly drooling over the blonde that Mitzi was dancing with.

As the night progressed, more alcohol began to circulate, and the effects became quite apparent. Brandon's drunken conversations were becoming harder and harder to understand and Sky was acting quite strange himself. He danced with random individuals, started flirting, and would even throw various items that he found. Mitzi and Sarah had reunited, but neither so much as took a sip of any drink available to them. Instead, they were only focused on their two handsome guests: watching them closely, leading them to believe that they were interested, dancing and kissing them to prove it…

It may have been the alcohol, but it also may have been the specialists themselves who didn't pick up on several hushed conversations between the two women, nor did any doubts about their motives come about. Their ignorance was the key for the night to take a rather dramatic turn; all the drunken dances and careless conversations were just the beginning.

It was midnight when Sarah received a sharp pinch from Mitzi. The two men and two women were seated at a booth and had been laughing and talking for quite awhile. Mitzi made sure that Sarah and she were sitting in between Brandon and Sky, Mitzi next to Brandon, Sarah next to Sky. This slight pinch underneath the table was Sarah's signal, causing her to remove her bright pink cell phone from the pocket in her skirt. She smirked as she clicked the video button and turned to Mitzi and Brandon.

"Say cheese!" she squealed.

As Brandon and Mitzi were posing for a supposed picture, Mitzi took things into her own hands (as according to plan) and began to kiss Brandon passionately. After a moment of pure confusion, an intoxicated Brandon played along. Sarah continued to record the seemingly oblivious couple on the phone.

Brandon's mind was flowing with pieces of thoughts; memories of Stella, thoughts of her and that Kolin… _Mitzi, that Kolin again, Mitzi, what if Stella finds out, Mitzi is a good kisser, Stella, what would she think, but she loves that Kolin, why is he better than me? This isn't wrong, why can't I have fun? This isn't wrong… this isn't wrong…_

It took a few minutes of romance between Mitzi and Brandon before something in Sky's brain finally clicked. He had to get out of there, this was leading to no good. He started to slowly shuffle his way out of the booth when a thin hand grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going? Don't you want to have a little fun?" Sarah began using her infamous "puppy pout".

"Uh, I, I gotta go." The Prince of Eraklyon was beginning to feel quite nervous. He knew he shouldn't be there.

"You should stay." She massaged his arm as she tried to sound persuasive.

"No, I have to, I have to go. And Brandon is coming too…" Sky freed himself from the booth and pulled Brandon away from Mitzi's hold. The two stumbled towards the door and nearly fell onto the sidewalk on their way out.

Mitzi and Sarah watched with an extreme lack of care. Mitzi then turned to Sarah, "Well, did you get it?"

"You bet I did!" Sarah played back the "footage" on her cell phone.

"Great!" Mitzi snorted, "Now, send it to Bloom, send it to Bloom!"

They both laughed as Sarah sent the video to Bloom's cell phone, they laughed as they walked out of the club, and they laughed as they drove the convertible back to Mitzi's home.

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Stella and Bloom were seated on the small, itty bitty couch in the "living room" of the old apartment. Everyone but Brandon and Sky were home that night and had occupied themselves. The best friends had accomplished passing time by discussing school, boys, and were even bringing up some dirt on a few of their friends when Bloom's phone rang.

"That's strange, you never get any calls." Stella said jokingly.

"It's Sarah's number." Bloom stated with a hint of confusion.

"That witch! Gimme the phone! Gimme the phone! Let me give her a piece of Stella!" Stella made a mad grab for the phone, which was too swift for Bloom to counter.

The blonde flipped the cell phone open, "It's a text message. I wonder what it says…" When she opened the message, a video began to play… a video of her shnookums and Bloom's arch enemy… kissing… kissing _passionately_! The two fairies watched in horror as Brandon played along with Mitzi's original move. When it was finally over, Stella abruptly stood up from the couch and stormed over to the nearest bedroom. Bloom could hear a loud "Get out!" before a few friends scrambled out of the room. The door slammed, which alarmed most of the inhabitants of the apartment.

Everyone heard a blood-curdling, angry screech from the room as the main door opened, revealing a very drunk Sky and Brandon.

Bloom took it upon herself to storm up to them, "Where the hell have you two been!? Oh, and you!" she yanked Brandon's shirt, "You are in BIG trouble, buddy! Big trouble!"

The fiery redhead dragged Brandon over to the room Stella had taken over, opened the door, and shoved him in.

"Uuhh… Bloom… sweetie, I don't think that was such a good idea, honey." Flora's voice shook with fear. There was a brief moment of silence before the screaming occurred. Stella attacked Brandon with her words as his defenses continued to crumble with each attempted excuse.

Most of the group began to settle in the living room to listen to the argument, but one certain person was missing… that is, until she came out of the second bedroom.

"Uuh, guys? I know that is important, but I, um, I have something to show you." Layla's tone was hushed and nervous. The group got up and followed her into the bedroom where she pointed to a baffling sight…

The closet door had been ripped from its hinges, revealing a load of brand new clothes and several large bags.

"That's not all…" Layla walked over to one of the bags and forced it open, allowing each and every person in the room to see the green bills all folded neatly on top of one another.

"That's… insane… but, who?" Musa asked.

"Yes, no kidding, and how?" Helia also questioned.

Before they could even begin to discuss the matter, though, the main door swung open. There was a brief silence throughout the house before a single, raspy voice could be heard…

"So, anyone want to tell me what in the hell is going on up here? Or am I gonna have to find out for myself?"

----------

_Author's Note_: I hope this wasn't too long of a time period between chapters. This one is definitely a longer installment. Thank you to all readers and reviewers! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

**  
**In the future installments: Will Musa and Layla get that dream job? Will Tecna, Musa, and Bloom accept Riven and Timmy's offer of staying with them in the "new" apartment? What will happen between Stella and Brandon? Will the group find out where the money came from?

But first of all, what in the world will the landlord do?


	12. Chapter 12 Mistrust, Mistakes,Misfortune

**Chapter 12  
Mistrust, Mistakes, and Misfortune**

For a moment, no one in the room so much as took a breath. The fear penetrating the atmosphere left goose-bumps on the skin of the individuals it ran its mighty sword through. Layla was the first to move; peaking her head out of the bedroom she had been in during the landlord's entrance. Upon seeing her, the husky man jerked his head and yelled, "You! Yes, you! Get your little ass out here! Is anyone else in that room? Get out! All of you! Get out here right now!"

It only took a few seconds for every single person in the apartment to make a mad rush into the main room.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, here's what's gonna happen. First of all, I don't care about why you all were screamin' and yellin', all I care about is that you were screamin' and yellin'. Second, I don't appreciate bein' woken up because the lot of you. I don't tolerate it."

He paced for a little while, mumbling something indisctinctly before turning back to the youths, "Now, had you done this while I was awake, I woulda been a little bit nicer. But, unfortunately, I was havin' a good nap. I'm not doing any good anyways by letting all of you stay altogether in this room anyway." He turned, almost as if to get a response from the group. When he received none, he continued.

"So I've made up my mind. I'm gonna kick a couple of you out."

There was a few audible gasps before a pleading voice rang out, "Please, sir, we want to stay here together! We don't know what we would do without each other!" Flora 's tears started to build; ready to fall if any more persuasion was needed.

"We need each other, you can't do this!" Musa also protested.

"Nope. My mind is made up, and I have an inkling about who the troublemakers are." His lips curled into a sly smile before he pointed a bony finger at Sky.

"You're one of them." His finger was then directed at Riven, "And you're another." He then peered over at Helia, who was trembling with absolute terror, "And you're the last one."

There was a loud squeal followed by a quickly-paced, incomprehensible and high-pitched outburst of what could have been words. After a few moments of settling, the gibberish became clear, "No, you can't, you can't! He didn't do anything wrong! I promise he won't speak a word anymore! Just let him stay! Let him stay! Please, please!"

Everyone turned to face a very frantic Flora, who then burst into the tears she had been withholding and continued with her desperate pleas. Helia walked over to comfort the floral fairy by rubbing his hand on her back, which only made it worse, as her tears flowed more freely than ever. The landlord quickly tired of the charade, "You know what, I'll let him stay, but if you, miss, if I ever hear a word out of you, he'll be out on the streets. My decision still remains with the others. If you were smart, you'd be out of here within the next half an hour, boys."

Before making his exit, he locked eyes with Flora and smiled, "I better not hear so much as a peep out of all of you from here on out."

The door slammed behind him, and with it, the eyes of every person dodged from one pair of eyes to another, almost declaring a unified feeling of grief.

No one spoke a word until they heard the heavy footsteps making their gradual way down the creeky wooden stairs. "I can't believe this!" Musa finally yelled, "This is absolute crap!"

"Musa, trust me, it will all work out." Riven stated cooly, which only granted him questioning glares from several members due to his unusual optimism. Little did they know, Riven was casual in his response to the situation because of the fact that he had a plan – he wasn't planning on staying in the apartment anyway, getting kicked out only meant the move would be enacted more quickly and without an awkward explanation, which he had absolutely no problem with. But, of course, he wasn't about to let that become common knowledge.

"What? I can't ever look on the bright side?" Riven ran his fingers through his hair, "The guy's just a jerk. Let's not let him get us all riled up."

"Riven, did it not occur to you that I just got kicked out, too? And it's raining outside! What am I going to do?" The blonde prince was obviously in a severe panic. At first, Bloom just crossed her arms and looked as livid as she possibly could muster due to his late entrance earlier with Brandon, but after a few pitiful stares from Sky, she gave in with, "I'll help you pack your things, Sky."

The couple moped into a different room while Musa turned the tone to a hushed, serious one, "Guys, did anyone else think it was off that he only kicked guys out? That, and he kept smiling oddly… and he was always staring at Flora…"

The flower fairy shivered, this time Helia's comfort faintly had a more positive impact, as she smiled ever so slightly, "Well, Helia is still here. He'll protect me from that creepy guy, I just know it. He's a hero." Her cheeks flushed a soft pink.

Musa rolled her eyes and turned to Layla and Tecna, who both also shared the same skepticism with Flora's statement. Riven then abruptly grabbed Musa's arm, "Babe, I need to talk to you in the other room… you can help me get my things together." He nodded over at Timmy, who accepted the silent signal by nodding back.

Timmy then walked over to Tecna and asked her to assist in packing with Riven. Despite her uncertainty, she relunctanly followed.

Riven knocked on the door Bloom and Sky were in, "Hey you two, I'm coming in." Without waiting for a response, he entered. "I need to talk to Bloom, Sky."

"Are you kidding me?" The future king raised an eyebrow, hinting his suspicions.

Timmy walked in, "It will just be for a minute, Sky. It's important."

_Well, at least it's not just Riven… I can trust the nerdy guy with Bloom… He won't do anything. _The prince rolled his eyes and even purposely bumped into Riven on his way out. Timmy shut the door behind him, after the desired females had entered.

"Ok guys," Riven faced Bloom, Tecna, Timmy and Musa, "I've got an offer for you. Timmy and I have found a nice apartment downtown, minus the creepy, temperamental landlord. It's cheap, and I think we can afford it. Don't expect anything bigger than what we currently have, but it's still better than being cramped up here."

Timmy coughed, "So… what he's saying is, erm, he wanted to ask…"

"We wanted to know if you would be interested in sharing a place with us. Now, I'm only asking you three, no one else, and with that being said, no one else has to know."

"Ahh… so _that's_ why you weren't pissed about being kicked out." Musa put her hands on her hips.

Riven rolled his eyes, otherwise ignoring her comment, "So, what do you say?"

"I'm in, obviously. I would hate to be cooped up here with Stella and Brandon fighting twenty-four seven." Musa's smile grew to epic proportions, her eyes focusing strictly on Riven. _Finally! An escape! And maybe… possibly… a little privacy… _A feeling of complete eagerness ran through her veins.

"Count me in, as well." Tecna agreed.

They all turned to face Bloom, "Ok, guys, here's the deal. I'll go if Sky and Stella will."

Riven shook his head, his expression quickly turning to one of "are you kidding me?"

"Bloom, I thought I explained this clearly to you… We picked you three, and that's it. It's a space issue." _That and I don't want prince-boy to have it easy, _Riven thought to himself.

"Well, we fit everyone into this small place, can't you fit Sky at least? And why not just let Musa or Tecna stay here and let Stella go instead?"

"Bloom, no… just, no. You can stay here if you want. That way, there will be more space for us. It's up to you." Timmy looked slightly tense.

"Can I… can I think about it?" Bloom asked innocently, her tone resembling that of a child begging their mother for a toy or ice cream.

"Fine, but think quick, and don't tell anyone." Riven stated before leaving the room, followed by the rest of the group.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

"The rain is terrible, and it's only supposed to get worse." Timmy dropped a soaking wet cardboard box onto the hardwood floor of their "new" apartment. It had been a good 20 minutes since they had quietly left the apartment, and during those 20 minutes, they'd managed to move their belongings from one building to another.

"Just stop complaining and get some of that crap out of the boxes and into the apartment." Riven nearly growled, obviously irritated by the amount of rain that had been dumped on him.

Musa busied herself by rolling out sleeping bags in one of the bedrooms while Tecna dragged a box into the other. After setting the box down, she paused, peering into the other room. She stared for a little while before speaking. "Timmy, I think you may need to take a look at this."

"Oh gosh, please don't tell me that my laptop is broken. I knew something didn't sound right as I was moving that box!" He dropped what he had been carrying and madly dashed into the other bedroom.

"No, no… your laptop is fine." She paused, releasing Timmy of his fear, "It sounds… silly… but I just wanted to talk to you."

Timmy abruptly calmed and then laughed, "It's not silly. Go on."

"I feel as if I have a desire to go back… almost as if I have an obligation to."

He knotted his fingers in hers, "Look, I think we've talked about this. The best plan is to stay here and adapt for a while. When the time is right to go back, we'll go, whether we have to fight or not."

She shook her head, "You do know I like to have a plan. Spontaneity is not anything I particularly enjoy… You know I'm analytical, I just can't live by 'when the time is right'."

"Sometimes you just _have_ to be spontaneous… like you said way back when." The statement caused Tecna to smile ever so slightly. Oh the resort realm, the time of great distress but also of great unity.

Timmy squeezed her hands a bit more tightly and paused to look at her for a moment before planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. He took gratitude in her smile and continued to stand with her in the silence before a familiar voice caused its demise, "Hey, you two, get your butts out here and help us. We've still got boxes out here to take care of!"

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Meanwhile, at the apartment, the bitter battle between Stella and Brandon picked up precisely where it left off, despite the earlier warnings made by the landlord.

"It… it wasn't anything!" Brandon tried, once again, to defend himself against the raging blonde. _Will I ever make her happy again? Why the hell did I do that? What the hell was I thinking?_

"Not ANYTHING! You _made out_ with her, Brandon! How is that not ANYTHING!?" She shoved him with as much strength as her petite frame could muster.

"Don't shove me!" He pushed her slightly, to stand his ground while at the same time not wanting to cause her any harm.

"Oh, after what you've done, I can do whatever I want to you!" She slapped his face and pushed him once again.

The sharp sound of Stella's palm meeting Brandon's cheek instantly caught the gentle Flora's attention. She could not stand it any longer. _I have to stop this. _"Cut it out!"

"So why did you kiss her? Am I not _good_ enough?! Why did you have to _cheat_ on me?" The sorrow she was feeling inside was translating to complete fury on the outside. She couldn't help herself. _How could he? I thought he loved me… If he loved me, why would he kiss her?_

"Stella! Stella!!!" Flora flung herself between the fairy from Solaria and the squire from Erakylon.

"Don't even bother, Flora! This is none of your business!" Stella forcefully shoved her friend aside.

"It is, Stella! Don't hurt him!"

"Don't hurt him!? Don't hurt him?!? He hurt ME! He hurt me, Flora!" Stella screeched.

Layla had been sitting and watching the attempted intervention as a form of entertainment during her leisure time, when an idea came to mind. She snuck into the bedroom where she had found the money earlier and slowly closed the door on the argument.

_Whoever has this money didn't care enough about it to hide it very well anyway. Maybe it was left here from the residents before… I don't think they'll notice if I take a little bit of it. I don't think it will be a problem… _

She reached her hand into one of the bags and dragged large blocks of bills out of it, hastily shoving it into her pockets. She continued this process until she simply could not stuff any more bills into her jeans. She looked back and forth warily before sneaking out of the room.

The situation had not changed much. Brandon was still against a wall, Flora was still between him and Stella, pleading with the angry fairy, who still continued to defend her reasoning. After seeing this, Layla made a quick escape from the apartment.

She had gone unnoticed. The three were completely oblivious to Layla's whereabouts. "Stella, pleaaassee!" Flora had tears in her eyes.

"You know what, Flora?! I don't care about what you want! Get yourself OUT of my business RIGHT now!" She shrieked.

Rustling then sounded from the downstairs apartment, and a familiar feeling of dread claimed most of the apartment's inhabitants. Brandon slipped away from the wall as Stella let down her defenses. Flora sighed with absolute relief that the two had stopped fighting.

Helia, on the other hand, was feeling anything but relief, in fact, he started pacing frantically.

"Oh my gosh guys, oh my gosh. Stop, stop, stop. Please, everyone, quiet."

After a few more paces, he settled himself in a corner, tucked his knees in, and rested his head in them. He continued to mumble to himself in a severely worried tone, which resignated the same worry within everyone in the room.

"Helia…?" Flora asked compassionately, while rushing to his side and taking his hands up in hers.

"Let's just be quiet. I just don't want to get kicked out. Just let me be, please. Just let me be."

With that, shuffling out of the room could be heard, and afterwards, complete silence… just as Helia wanted.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

The rain was still pouring heavily as Layla made her way down the desolate streets of Gardenia. The regret was not weighing as heavily upon her mind as the money was weighing down her pockets. The one thing weighing the most, though, was the worry growing about where to stash the money…

_I have to put it in a place where only I can find it… where no one else can steal it… and where the others do not know about…_

Then she got it: Mike and Vanessa's apartment. Sure, the others know about it, but they're not living there anymore…. Bloom's parents would never suspect her of harboring money, of all things, in their home. She just needed to find the perfect hiding place there… a place where the couple would never look.

She knocked on the door and forced out a few fake shivers to achieve an especially pathetic effect, then waited. It didn't take very long at all for Bloom's mother to open the door and hurriedly invite her inside the warm apartment. Vanessa only asked questions once they both were seated in the kitchen with hot coffee to sip on.

"So, why did you come back here, honey?"

"Well… I…" Layla changed the tone of her voice to sound distraught, "I've been having a hard time coping with our situation… and everyone in one apartment… it's just so stressful… so stressful…"

"Oh honey, I understand."

"I just wanted to come here for just a little while… just for some peace and quiet."

"I completely understand. You all are always welcome here." Vanessa commented with one of her infamously warm and loving smiles.

"Um, may I use your bathroom real quick?" Layla asked with a hint of urgency.

"Of course."

With that, Layla rushed upstairs and went right to work on a search for a little nook or cranny to stuff her money into. She rapidly opened closets and tore through rooms looking for spaces that the mind wouldn't think first of searching. After a few minutes, she'd found it. Next to the top floor bathroom, there was a little closet loaded with shampoos, towels, and cleaning supplies. The very top shelf didn't seem to have anything important stored upon it, in fact, it appeared to be gathering dust…

For the first time in a long time, Layla used her magic: she lifted off of the floor ever so slightly to get a look at how far back the shelf went: it left quite a bit of empty, hidden space. Without further ado, she stashed the cash behind the dusty items, hidden from view.

When she descended the stairs, she noticed Vanessa waiting for her. The first thought that came to mind was that she was suspicious of her taking so long, but that proved not to be the case.

"Layla, gosh, I feel so badly, but I forgot to tell you something. Two or three days ago, I received a call for you and Musa from a man… He mentioned something about a club? I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." Vanessa frowned, sincerely apologetic.

Layla felt anger rise… it almost took ahold of her throat… it stormed through her brain as quickly as a wildfire… Fortunately, the words that escaped her mouth were not those of the extreme feeling that had taken her to senses so quickly, "Did he leave his number?"

"Yes, I wrote it down next to the phone."

Without another word, Layla made her way to the telephone and dialed.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sky looked down at his phone, hoping the raindrops hadn't caused it to cease working. He scrolled through his text messages and looked at the latest, from Bloom, which stated to just wait for a little while until "things got worked out". He sighed, and looked at his soaked feet. He ran his hand through a soaking mop of hair. The rain had only picked up since he had seated himself, and his belongings, on a roadside bench in downtown Gardenia. He had long since felt neglected, forgotten, and lonesome… none of his friends followed him out of the apartment. No one had offered any sympathy… and now even his girlfriend was elsewhere, supposedly "working things out", but he was even unsure of that, as she had been angry with him earlier.

He let out another sigh and looked down at his phone again, which was still grasping onto life, and debated whether or not to bother Bloom with another text message, pleading for both forgiveness and haste.

Meanwhile, another individual took on the rain, but in a vehicle in an escape attempt of sorts.

Sarah had just had a falling out with her parents, who also questioned her staying out late. They had pounded her with question after question, threatening this priveledge and that, and finally, Sarah had had it. She screamed at them before she stole her father's car and took off.

Now she was driving down the rainy, deserted streets of Gardenia, muttering to herself, texting Mitzi, and just trying to calm down when she saw a familiar face… Mitzi's blonde crush… Bloom's infamous boyfriend… all wet and sitting on a bench… alone. _Perfect._

She pulled over to the curb and rolled down the window of the sleek, spotless, silver mid-sized car and smiled amiably, "Hey you. Do you want a ride? It's nice and dry in here."

She was so convincing… and seemed so sweet. Sky was feeling lonely and neglected and here she had come out of the blue and offered some aid. Through her kindness, he'd forgotten that she may be the one to blame for the very reason he was sitting on that bench. Despite this, it had been hours since he'd last seen Bloom… he doubted she would come any time soon… She'd probably forgotten him…

After a few moments of hesitation, he finally nodded, "Sure."

He ran to and entered the vehicle: greeted by a rush of warm air and a gentle, kindhearted smile.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

_Author's Note_: _As always, apologies for the delay. Lots of stuff to do, not a lot of time to do it. Thank you to all readers and reviewers!_

_Did any hope of a job fall through for Layla and Musa? What will Sarah do with Sky? Will Bloom find out, and where will Bloom live? What about Stella and her cash? Will the landlord kick anyone else out? What ever will become of Brandon and Stella as a couple?_

_And most of all… what misfortunes will going back to school for the first time after their long absence bring?_


	13. Chapter 13 For Better or For Worse

**Chapter 13  
For Better or For Worse**

Her mind was racing… he was so handsome and he seemed like the perfect gentlemen. She didn't care, at that moment, that her best friend, Mitzi, was also smitten with him. The moment he had stepped into the vehicle, all sense of rationality was thrown out. Instead, she was dwelling within a dreamlike state of pure desire. She immediately abandoned her initial plan of getting dirt on him for Mitzi to utilize in her plight against Bloom. Oh no, he was far too beautiful for that kind of treatment. His face was strong yet adorned with a gentle expression, his hair was the perfect shade of thick gold, and his muscles…oh, his muscles…

"Nice car." Sky said with a little smile, interrupting Sarah's dreamy state.

"Oh, yeah… My parents bought it for me when I turned 16." She concealed the fact that she truly was itching for a new vehicle, "So why were you sitting out there all alone in the rain? You looked so lonely."

"Well…" Sky squirmed after he realized what a state he was in. He had been kicked out of the apartment, and his girlfriend had nearly abandoned him despite the short phone calls and texts... They offered nothing to lean on… no shoulder to help ease the burden… no warm arms to fall into while the world around you seemed to fall apart… "Well, I was kicked out of our apartment because… well… the landlord didn't like me, or something…"

"Oh my gosh!" Sarah squealed, her voice oozing with false empathy.

"And… my girlfriend kind of… well, she didn't seem to care that I was out in the rain… She's a great girl, and I care about her so much, but, well, I think we're both confused right now. " Sky sighed.

"Well, I can help you out, handsome. Would you like a place to stay?" Sarah winked in efforts to be cute.

"I could really use a warm bed to sleep in."

"Oh, at my place, we have more than that. Heck, we have a nice guest suite that you could stay in."

Sky was reminded of his castle back in Eraklyon… his own bedroom suite. No more of that decrepit, rancid apartment; crammed to the brim with other young adults. No, there would be no more of that. A guest suite would fit the prince perfectly. _It's what I deserve after all I do to help in the Magic Dimension… I deserve this…_

"Sure. That sounds great." Sky smiled.

"Your girlfriend won't be mad, will she?" Sarah added, only to sound as if she cared about the redhead.

"No, she probably won't even know where I am." _Did she really expect me to sit out on that bench all night? No… no… Bloom is too sweet for that; she must have a plan… she must… _Guilt started to choke Sky, but he swiftly fought it off with the thought of a warm room, cozy sheets, and a hot shower.

With that, Sarah pushed her foot into the gas pedal further and sped off to her home.

x x x x x x x x

"I'm so, so, so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am… Yes, I know, I know… No! We'll always be there on time, I promise… We've been through a lot... We need the money. No, we're _desperate_. Please… yes… Oh thank you! Thank you!" Layla nearly threw the phone with excitement. "Thank goodness! Oh thank goodness!"

Mike and Vanessa looked over at her. They had no doubt about how the conversation went, but Vanessa commented upon it anyway, "So sweetie, is everything alright?"

"Musa and I got the job! Two days from now, we'll be working at Club Rave! Oh, I have to get home and tell her… She'll be so excited!" The fairy from Tides was nearly jumping up and down with pure glee.

"Go on now, don't leave her in suspense." Mike laughed. Layla didn't even need the reassurance to leave, as she was already out the door by the time he spoke.

It only took her a mere few minutes to run the few blocks, jolt up the old stairs, and burst open the door to the apartment. But, it was then that she realized that Musa was nowhere to be found.

She looked over to Flora, "Where's Musa?"

"Oh… um… I don't know. I haven't seen her for awhile."

"Awhile? Since Riven and Sky got kicked out or since Stella started screaming again?" Layla pressed.

"Oh goody gumdrops, I don't know. I'm sorry, honey." Flora frowned.

Layla then went from room to room, throwing the doors open and yelling Musa's name. The only people she found were a terrified Helia, and the silently feuding Stella and Brandon: their eyes shooting poison-tipped daggers that their mouths wouldn't dare speak of. Everyone else was… gone.

She threw her attention back at Flora, "Where is everyone?"

"Um… well, Sky and Riven got kicked out…."

Layla slapped her palm to her face, "I know that. But, I mean…" she was interrupted by Flora's ring tone: a song of chimes and birds.

"Hello? Bloom! Sweetie! How are… Oh, okay… I'll get them together. See you all soon." Flora hung up her phone and looked at Layla, "She said that we're having a group meeting and that everyone should meet at the park."

Stella stormed out, thus ending her cold staring contest with her emotionally-demasculinized counterpart, "No, no, no, no, NO! It's raining; can you not see the outfit I'm wearing? It's couture, and I cannot afford to get it wet! Is that girl out of her mind?" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Everything is a battle with you, isn't it Stella?" Layla grunted, "Just get a raincoat on or something. Let's go."

x x x x x x x x

The rain was pouring down steadily on top of the heads of many various vibrant colors, from magenta to bright yellow. The chilled water soaked the youths, sending shivers to some and minor annoyance to others. At least the trees provided a small barrier against the brunt of it, but if any lightning was to illuminate the sky, the general consensus was that the meeting would be over.

The whole group was in attendance, except for one particularly royal specialist…

"Before we start, does anyone know where Sky is?" Bloom asked.

Riven grunted, "We're fine without him. Let's start."

"No, I have to know where he is. I can't get ahold of him… has anyone seen him?"

Each and every head shook.

"Well, we can't do this without him." Bloom crossed her arms and looked around, as if she would see him running towards them with a look of pure remorse; the one he gave whenever he begged for forgiveness for the most petty of issues...

"Are you kidding? It's cold, I'm wet, and it's pouring. I cannot take it! Let's get it over with before I ruin my boots!" Stella cried out.

Bloom took the advice of her best friend, "Okay, I called this meeting because I think it's important that we are all in the loop. That, and, tomorrow, after a long absence from school, we are going back."

Nearly everyone groaned.

"I know, I know. But we can't look like we just dropped out… we can't do that. We also need to discuss something that a few of us are aware of, but a few of us are not."

Riven shot Bloom a piercing glare, but there was simply no stopping her, "It seems that a few of us have discovered an apartment all to themselves. Riven can tell you all about it. He invited Timmy, Tecna, Musa, and me to share the place with him. Now, there is a problem with his thinking. Sky got kicked out, too, and he needs a place to stay. I will not move in until I know that he will be there too." Bloom directed her gaze towards Riven.

"You _bitch_."

"I think it's only fair." Bloom retorted.

"You see, there won't be enough room." Timmy explained.

"They can fit five in the other place, why can't we there, too?" Bloom demanded an answer.

"The small apartment has the capacity to hold, at most, four at a _comfortable_ level. Five is pushing it, really. It would be a very crammed living environment." Timmy calmly replied.

"Well, like I said, kick Musa or Tecna out. They can live with the others. Sky is the one that desperately needs a place."

Timmy hid his anger from view, while Riven, fury running naturally through his veins, exerted it forcefully, "NO! You do NOT make the rules, here. You and prince-boy can find your own place if that's the way you're gonna act."

There was silence, and Bloom seemed a bit taken aback. "Ok, we'll try to stay with my parents…"

"That doesn't seem fair. You won't have to pay for a roof over your head or food in your stomach. Instead, you're going to leave us all to fend for ourselves? You're the leader, right?" Layla protested.

"Self-proclaimed." Riven grunted.

Bloom buried her face in her hands and started to cry. _I can't make anyone happy. I'm losing it… I really am… I can't help him, I can't help them. What can I do? I'm supposed to be a leader… I'm supposed to be a leader… I need to help them. _

"Let's end it here and go to school tomorrow with our heads held high. Any other news, gang?" Musa changed the tone.

"We got the job, Musa. We start in two days!" Layla declared. The sound of vocal congratulations and happy squeals rang through the park.

"I'm working after classes tomorrow." Flora smiled, "…and Helia is as well."

"I'm going to submit my application to the electronics store tomorrow afternoon." Tecna stated.

"Well, it's just good news all around, isn't it?" Riven almost sounded sarcastic. Brandon failed to pick up on his tone, "It is! It really is!"

x x x x x x x x

The good news of the previous day brought no comfort when the group was faced with the cold stares and ridicule of their fellow peers. They were spat, glared, and even laughed at as they entered the building. The worst of all was simply being flat-out ignored, as if none of them even existed.

"Why are we doing this?" Flora asked Bloom timidly.

"Because Bloom said so." Stella shot back.

The sour treatment continued as they walked to their respective lockers. One young man grabbed Helia's collar and shoved him into the nearest locker, creating a sound that echoed down the halls. That sound was mixed with the ring of laughter.

Classes followed the hallway trauma, but only caused more trouble. Layla ended up picking numerous spit-wads out of her thick, brown hair. Tecna was given bruises when someone happened to trip her as she left the classroom. Stella was left in tears after Mitzi and her gang cornered her and punched her numerous times, also turning her clothes into tattered rags. Timmy found himself in an unfortunate situation during a gym class when the jocks pelted him with basketballs. Riven, strangely, was left alone. Perhaps the others were intimidated by his large muscles, which he exposed as much as the dress code allowed through his use of a tight, sleeveless muscle shirt.

Perhaps the physical pain that some of the group members felt was equal to that of Bloom, when, at the end of the day when the final bell rang and everyone was leaving, she happened to spy the love of her life with none other than Sarah, walking down the hall together, consumed in talk. _I love you… I love you… How could you?_ She felt her defenses weaken, her mind was spinning, spinning, spinning. She felt dizzied, as if gravity was trying to force her down. The tears stung her eyes and her lip sight just absolutely destroyed her.

x x x x x x x x

The hours of school torment had ended. Fortunately for the flower fairy, she received little to none of it. The cold stares, though, were enough to shake her sensitive core, but she found solace in her work. Politely taking orders with a smile, drawing little flowers by the scribbles of desired food items, making small talk with the customers… she loved it through and through. She particularly loved when families came in, such as the mother and father with their children in tow, or the young couple with a newborn baby nestled in a stroller. She felt delighted to see such a connection: such strong love that she hoped to nurture throughout her adult life as well. She rushed over to a table where a young woman, obviously just back from the office, was sitting. She had a pencil and a tablet in hand, smiled, and welcomed the woman.

"Lovely day isn't it, dear?" the woman asked politely.

Flora thought for a couple of moments, turned her attention to the window, where cumulous clouds were filling the deep blue sky and the sun was shining brightly. Yes, yes it was a beautiful day. They had triumphed despite the hurdles… they had made it through the dreadfulness of it all…. And, they were doing all right. Yes, they were doing all right.

"Yes, yes it is." Flora replied warmly, almost as warm as the sun's rays itself, "Now, may I start you off with something to drink, ma'am?"

x x x x x x x x

_**Author's Note**__: Hello all! Long time, no see… and I know it's been awhile. Honestly, I am shocked that I found time to write this chapter, as I have been overwhelmed not only lately, but… well… nearly all year. I do not foresee it getting any better in that respect, though, so I will not make an empty promise and say that the next chapter will be up "soon." Rather, I will say that the next chapter will come, inevitably, in time, and when I have sufficient time to do so and do so well. We're only human; we can only handle so much. _

_I do want to thank you for being patient and for reviewing. I appreciate the feedback. _


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